Into the Starry Night
by Hime Hoshi
Summary: During Sailor Stars Saga. There is a new idol in town, what could this mean for the Three Lights? And who is the idol in relation to the Sailor Senshi? Secrets and memories surface. OC & different plot. Read author's note before beginning please :
1. Prolouge

This takes place during Sailor Moon Eternal, or Sailor Stars. There is a new idol in town, what could this mean for the Three Lights? How will they handle a rival in their quest to find their special lady? It's a good thing Hotaru likes her so much, she may need all the support she can get in a one idol town.

Author's note: This is my first attempt at writing. Please bare with me, I have loads to do outside this and cannot always work on it. It's about ¾ written but has to be typed and revised and edited before it can be posted. That's what takes the most time.

On another note, I love Sailor Moon, this is my favorite series, and I do like the whole SeiyaxUsagi pairing, but will ultimately go with Mamoru in the end. This will be classic pairing, no SxU, sorry. Also, I have changed quite a bit to fit my new character in and a new plot, this will change a whole lot, no lie, it will all change. But, if you haven't seen Eternal Series, this will have word for word episodes in it as well, with a few alterations on my part, ie *spoiler alert*

I also have a different idea for the Outer Senshi and the Starlights have always appeared to me in a _different_ light and that is how they will be portrayed. More on this later. I will not apologize for my changes. This is a fanfic for a reason. Deal. No flames, constructive criticism, but not harshness, kay? First time out, remember?

Anyways, please enjoy. ;)

Sailor Moon and co does not belong to me and I have no claim. Can't get much clearer than that.

The vagueness of the prologue will lift by chapter 1

**The Universe's Forgotten Past **

**Golden Millennium **

**Prologue**

"Princess, please don't!" protested the young female to her companion.

"Uranus! Don't, don't make this any harder. I've made my decision and it's final." The princess of a shattered kingdom managed to say without her voice breaking, a very big accomplishment considering her entire world was falling apart. Her seven guardians surrounding her, chaos raging outside and emotional turmoil inside her, each had an influence on her decision in this matter, so why was Uranus objecting to it! _It doesn't matter what anyone says now, my final word is to save the Moon, our last hope. We may have lost the battle, but we haven't lost the war, yet, the next target will be the Moon and possibly even the Earth. Both of them must be saved if this universe is to survive. I must do everything in my power to accomplish this. _The princess reflected, steeling her resolve."Uranus I need you to lead the others."

But, the senshi wouldn't hear what she had to say. Uranus wouldn't give in that easily. "I just don't understand! We can take her down! I know we can! We can use…"

"Stop it, right now, Uranus! There isn't anything more we can do! We must obey her highness and do what she tells us." Uranus softened at the melodious, although scolding, voice and turned toward its owner, batting her short blonde hair from her eyes.

"Yes, but, Neptune, I know that we can defeat her."

"No. We've done all that we can, now, we must depend on the help of the Senshi protecting the Moon Kingdom." A soft wind blew up, wafting Neptune's teal hair across her face. Uranus looked as though she wanted to continue arguing, but was stopped as an annoying, arrogant voice cut across the conversation.

"Quit your love spat and just do as the princess orders! That is all you really can to do anyways!"

Uranus's burning gaze turned cold as it shot up from Neptune to the young man who spoke across from her. "You should know your duty and be backing me! We can't leave her here alone!"

Neptune latched onto her partner's arm to prevent her from foolishly threatening the silver haired guardian. "Uranus." Neptune whispered harshly. The voice of the Sea Scout brought Uranus back to reality. She turned her head away from the guard and scoffed, "Keh, it wouldn't matter, the boy is too cold hearted to care anyway."

"Why you…" The sliver haired youth started towards Uranus when the princess held out her arm, cutting him off, "Stop it right now you two. Uranus that was uncalled for. You will behave and do as I order, am I understood." The senshi just bowed her head and nodded

"Aarrrgggg now I'm sounding like your mother or something." The princess growled in frustration, then softened to say, "Let's end this. And when it is all over, we can rebuild our kingdom."

"Yes, let's go now," A quiet voice intervened before Uranus could protest once more. The voice belonged to another of the Princess's senshi, a young girl with chin length black hair. The young girl called Saturn looked up at the princess and said "But where would we flee and how do we get there?"

Princess put her hand on Saturn's purple shined black hair, "We are going to the Moon Kingdom. We'll need to travel there directly with no stops." She answered, "I'll need to create the crystal sphere to carry us there. But, we need a place of complete secrecy."

"How about your garden, Princess?" Asked the senshi with long black hair who carried a large key shaped staff. "The one I helped you create, the Star Garden?"

"That's a great idea, Pluto!" The Princess said. "Its in the very back of the grounds."

Suddenly there was an explosion as the section of the palace collapsed under the pressure from their assailants."Princess we must hurry!" Shouted the black haired guard, the brother of the silver haired guard. The black haired guardian was the middle child of the three brothers present. The oldest was the brunette standing behind him and the youngest was the silver haired guardian whose eyes were throwing daggers at Uranus. The group of Senshi and the princess started running down the white marble corridor. Racing through the palace, the group passed many rooms that they had once lived in, played in and spent many days and night together. And now they were running away from there, not knowing if they would ever return. Yet they had little to time to reflect on their memories here, they just had to keep running toward their new future filled with uncertainty

Another explosion sounded that rocked the foundations of the palace knocking a few of them off their feet. The Princess pulled herself to her knees, shouting, "That was closer than the previous blast. We must move faster!"

Helping the princess to her feet, Pluto said, "I believe that the enemy is inside the palace now. Keep the Princess close and follow me!" She shouted. They formed ranks and continued outside the palace. Pluto was at point with the three male guards behind her, the Princess behind them and Uranus, Neptune and Saturn bringing up the rear.

They rushed out of the palace, through the gold columns and down the white marble stars and through the vast garden.

"Where are we going exactly?" Uranus asked the Princess.

"The garden in located behind the Rose Garden." She shouted over her shoulder.

"But, there's no garden there, just a small forest that marks the end of the palace grounds." Said the oldest of the guardians.

"I've been in there and I saw no garden, just trees." Neptune panted, running a little short of breath.

The Princess, also panting from the pace they were keeping, replied, "That's because it isn't visible. Pluto knows of the garden because I needed her to set it up in a parallel dimension so that it _couldn't_ be found. No one can see in or out."

"But why does it have to be so far from the palace?" The silver haired guard huffed.

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The air was thick with the scent of blood while her ears were filled with the delicious sound of battle cries, as her eyes gazed at the sky filled with fire. It was the type of atmosphere that she enjoyed the most. She enjoyed it better when she had a hand in creating it. It was all so perfect, that she stood still for a moment, taking it all in, until she gets interrupted. Her blazing amber eyes slid to the side, as a young man dressed in a military uniform of grey-blue adored with a white cape approached her side.

"What do you want, Malachite?" Taken aback by the irritated tone in his commander's voice, the bleached haired general of Earth cleared his throat.

"Your majesty, we have infiltrated the Golden Hall and the front line is searching for the Princess and her crystal." Malachite responded, looking anywhere but the woman in front of him. _'If the Prince would have agreed on the terms for this attack, then I wouldn't be standing here taking orders from this witch.'_ Queen Beryl of the Negaverse was a very tall slender woman but was by no means beautiful; she had an evil presence around her that made her an unsavory person to be around.

Queen Beryl turned to face Malachite, switching her long silver to the other hand; a smirk appeared on her lips, "Well done, Malachite, your prince will be very pleased with you when you return to Earth." The smirk faded when an uneasy look flashed across the general's face. In order to divert the general away from questioning thoughts, Beryl asked where the other three Earth Generals were.

"They are at the front lines conducting the search, your majesty." Malachite gritted his teeth at having to refer to the red haired witch as his superior.

"And why are you not helping?"

"I am on my way there now. I was merely reporting our progress in the campaign"

"How considerate of you." Beryl said, cocking her head to the side. "I no longer need you here. Go assist the others. I want that Princess found now."

"Yes, your majesty." Beryl watched the retreating form of Malachite disappear. She would have to be very careful from here on out or the Earth General would discover her true intentions for attacking the Star Kingdom. The Queen's eyes narrowed as they swept the battlefield. _'I could care less about the Earth or its Prince, the only thing I really need from this attack is the energy of the soldiers.'_ Beryl raised her silver staff to the sky. Dark blue and green waves slowly began to be pulled into the red crystal ball held in place on the end of her staff by four silver claws. "Yes." She hissed, "Not much longer now."

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"Jedite!" Shouted Malachite upon his arrival to the front steps of the palace. "Report on the progress of the search." A solider, dressed in a grey-blue uniform similar to that of Malachite's approached. He was very tall and slender but well built, his blonde hair cropped short above his ears with bangs hanging in his eyes.

"We haven't found anyone but fleeing servants throughout the palace. There have been no signs of any of this kingdom's Senshi or the Princess."

"Have you searched the gardens and woods in the back of the palace?"

"No, we have yet to go back there."

"Then take fifteen men and go search the area." Malachite's ice blue eyes flashed a warning not to argue, which was exactly what Jedite was going to do. Jedite was also a general of Earth, the same as Malachite but he couldn't understand just why they were doing this. He didn't quite understand why they were going with Beryl's plan but rather than incur the wrath of the general who, apparently had a bad meeting with Beryl, Jedite did as ordered.

Jedite assembled some of his men in front of him and counted out fifteen of them. He then spotted a solider that he remembered was new to battle and decided to put him in command. "Jacent!" The solider seemed to jump at the sound of his name and saluted to answer. _'Take it easy, kid; I won't make you fight the enemy again.' _Jedite thought to himself as he took in the soldier's fatigued appearance.

"I want you to stay here with the others and guard these steps. Allow the servants and civilians to leave but not soldiers or palace officials that might have somehow hidden inside."

"Yes sir." The young soldier replied. Jedite could see the tension in the boy's eyes melt away at those orders. Jedite shrugged, _'Besides, the front is secure and these boys have earned a break from the bloodshed this evening' _Not that there had been much fighting. The Kingdom had practically surrendered before they even landed. Jedite had a suspicion that there was something in the works that no one else knew about, something on both sides, but he wasn't going to say anything; he didn't even want to be here. Jedite turned around to ask his commanding officer what should happen if they found the Senshi.

Malachite looked over his shoulder at the soldiers that were to go around the back. He shut his eyes, _'It has to be done.'_ "Kill the seven but bring back the Princess unharmed." A collective gasp sounded from the group of warriors. Oh, sure, they were trained to kill the enemy but just up until a few months ago, these warriors fought side-by-side with the seven Senshi. It couldn't be helped, however. They were at war with the kingdom. Jedite had to take a few moments to recompose himself before giving the order to his men to . . . kill their friends, his friends, although they all had heard it loud and clear, he had to reinforce it. _'I wonder if this is all worth it in the end.'_ Preferring not to place such a burden on his soldiers' shoulders, Jedite gathered the mercenaries that Beryl had provided. He gave the order and told them to head out, knowing damned well he was sending them to their deaths.

As the soldiers marched, Jedite turned once again to look at Malachite. Despite the malice in his voice when ordering the kill, Jedite knew he wasn't as cold hearted about his friends. But still, Jedite was curious if he had truly become the same as his perceived persona. A wind blew up from an explosion, sparks flew and Jedite's blonde hair blew in his face. For a fleeting moment he thought that he saw sorrow in Malachite's eyes, and would have dismissed it as a spark in the wind had it not been for the quick movement Malachite made across his eye. No one else saw the look Malachite had made, for it disappeared quickly. Jedite knew better.

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"Princess, how far into the forest should we go?" Saturn asked as they quickly reached abut of the garden and wood.

"About three quarters of a mile." Huffed the Princess, clearly not used to running long distances. The raven-haired guardian began worrying over her condition. He looked at her, "And how much of that can you run?"

"I'll be fine. I can run it." He looked at her once more, batting his black hair from his face, not believing a word she said. Her breathing was much more ragged than the others and the she had a very long and probably heavy dress on. He wondered how much longer she would be able to keep pace with the rest of them.

Just as they entered the forest, a shout was heard from behind. They stopped abruptly, and turned around only to see soldiers running at them with their swords drawn, ready for battle. "They're coming!" shouted the Princess.

Uranus gave the three guardians a fierce look. "You three take the Princess and go on. We'll hold these guys off and meet you in the garden, assuming that Pluto can lead us to the entrance once we're done. " Pluto nodded.

"Yes I know the way to the south and north entrances."

"As long as we can get in, there should be no problem." Uranus said.

"But how will you know where to find us? This garden is huge." The princess asked, trying to catch her breath.

Pluto answered, "At the fountain in the very middle."

"Alright." The Princess agreed, "But please be careful, and hurry back before they discover where we went and try searching for us." Looking in the four planetary Senshi's eyes for some clue that they would be all right, the Princess found confidence and strength. That was all she needed, with a nod she retreated into the wood. The other three guards stared at the planetary Senshi as their faces melted from calm smiles to the determined faces of warriors. Uranus nodded at them. "We'll get rid of these guys and meet you in there. Be sure to keep a sharp eye, there may already be enemies in the woods."

"Don't get killed." The silver haired guard chided.

"You guys are worried? These are mere pawns; they don't have any strength to boast of. We'll be there before you know it." Uranus stated. She looked at the black haired guard, "You better get going, don't lose her." He nodded and took off, with his two brothers in tow.

"Let's get started!" shouted Uranus, as she drew her sword from the air and charged the oncoming group.

"Right!" Saturn agreed, her silver glaive appearing in her hand. She grasped the middle and charged.

Pluto and Neptune smiled at each other. "Always rushing into battle, the little children." Neptune scolded the air.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Neptune. Would you?" Pluto asked, twirling her staff.

"No, I suppose not." Neptune replied, laughing. "Let's go!"

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Standing on the white marble steps, Jedite watched his men began their futile struggle against the senshi. _'Like they really have a chance. These men, I specifically picked out, are just men who fight for money, mercenaries. I really don't care if they die. _Jedite stared at the fight before his eyes_ 'These poor fools, the others in the front knew that if they went up against the Senshi, they would perish. But these guys have no clue.'_ In addition to helping Beryl, the Four Generals of Earth were each given around fifty of the best mercenaries in Beryl's Negaverse. These were ruthless men, but no doubt the powerful Senshi would take care of them. "The real question is; should I fight them when the others are dead?" Jedite pondered to himself. Sitting down and leaning against the cool surface of the palace column, Jedite crossed his arms and contemplated the question at hand. He was so immersed in thought that he failed to notice the two figures that approached him from behind.

"Jedite, what are you doing?" The blonde general turned his head around to see Nephrite and Zoycite. Holding his long, brown ponytail's tip in his fingers, Zoycite repeated his question. "What are you doing?"

"I'm watching these men die a meaningless death, what does it look like?" Jedite stood and cocked his head to indicate to the slaughter behind him. "But since you're here now, I'd like you're opinion. What are we doing and why are we doing it?"

"That's an easy one," Zoycite twirled the tip of his light brown hair between two fingers. "Queen Beryl said the Star Kingdom was plotting an attack on the Earth and presented evidence proving her claim."

"Yes, that is true. But how can we trust a person from the Negaverse?" Nephrite brushed his wavy, dark hair behind him and crossed his arms to stare out at the battle's end.

"You can't." The three generals turned to see Malachite coming out from the palace. "We can only trust ourselves and those closest to us. Beryl," he spat, "is not one of them." He looked up from his comrades to the Senshi. "As for them . . ."

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"AARRRGGG!" Screamed Uranus as she felled yet another enemy. _'These aren't worthy fighters. I'd almost feel sorry for them if they hadn't tried to kill me. This is almost too easy.' _She sliced yet another.

"Uranus!"

"What?" Uranus called after killing off her last opponent. She looked over to her left to see Saturn downing her last foe as well. She straightened and pointed her glaive at the palace.

Neptune and Pluto finished their opponents as well and walked towards Saturn, as did Uranus. "It seems we have company." Neptune commented.

"Oh, no. Not them." Uranus glanced over Saturn's head at Pluto. "Should we wait for them to make the first move?"

"Just a moment, we don't know why they didn't come at us with the first attack." Neptune looked at Pluto, who nodded her agreement. The four guardians looked at the generals, as they talked, apparently not caring whether or not their enemies were staring at them.

"Well, should we wait for them or leave?" Uranus asked, getting irritated. "They're just talking. It's rather irritating." Neptune put a hand on Uranus' arm as if to calm her with a single touch.

"We don't know what they may be planning." Neptune said. They continued to stare at the generals as they came to agreement. One of the generals, Malachite, looked up then gave an off hand salute, turned and retreated into the palace. The other three followed suit. Soon they vanished from sight, going into what was left of a once-magnificent palace.

"What do you suppose that was about?" Neptune asked. "Why did the generals leave instead of attacking us? I've never known the great Generals of Earth to back down from a fight."

"Well, strange or not, our Princess still needs us. We should hurry to catch up." Uranus ran back to the forest, the other three at her heels.

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"How much further is it to the south entrance?" Saturn asked, huffing as she sprinted head-to-head with Pluto, not an easy task for the young girl. Uranus and Neptune were both hot on their heels.

"We're almost there. We'll soon reach a large clearing with a huge tree in the middle. That's where the door is." Pluto said.

"How do we even know if we're on the right path?" Uranus asked.

"Simple." Pluto stated. "There are only two paths visible to our eyes while to everyone else's there are ten paths and all of them lead out of the forest in different directions. _We_ can see them because we are transformed, if we weren't then we could only see the ten paths."

"But that doesn't mean that we're on the right path." Neptune said. Pluto glanced back at her.

"We are. With only two paths visible to us it is easy to tell. One goes north and south and the other goes east and west. We passed the one that goes east and west so we're almost there."

Saturn started to sprint faster and pulled ahead of the others till she was out of sight. "Saturn! Wait up!" Neptune called. They could then hear Saturn's voice a short distance ahead of them.

"I found the clearing!"

The other three caught up with Saturn a moment later. The clearing was vast with wild flowers and tall grass and a large dark wood tree in the middle. Pluto brought her staff out in front of her and pointed it at the tree. A bright light filled the clearing as a keyhole appeared and Pluto put her staff in it and turned it. An archway appeared in the middle of the tree. At first it was very dark but slowly lightened to show a garden on the other side. Pluto brought her staff down and then motioned the others to follow her inside. Uranus paused on the threshold of the doorway to give a look around. After making sure that no one had seen them, she followed the others inside. The archway closed the moment Uranus stepped through and the tree returned to looking normal.

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The princess paced along the fountain in the middle of the garden, driving the three guards that were with her insane. The oldest of them, the brunette, went over to her, grabbed her shoulders and pushed her to sit down on the edge of the fountain. "You're going to wear yourself out pacing like that, Princess. Settle down. The Senshi will be here soon." He released her and went to stand by the silver haired guard who was watching the south path. The Princess tried to take her mind off the Senshi by looking into the water and just forgetting everything else around her.

The Princess gazed at the water until her eyes became unfocused. She could hardly forget about what she saw back there. She had seen the general known as Jedite standing on the steps of the palace as she fled into the forest. That was not good. The Generals of Earth were experienced soldiers that were famous for their numerous victories. That was what worried her. Oh, yeah sure, her four Senshi could handle one but not all four of the generals without needing to use more power. She was afraid that they were hurt or captured or worse. . . . dead. The princess felt herself go cold. If they were dead they would never know it until it was too late. Beryl could find them while they were sitting here waiting for the others who may not even return.

"Princess? Princess?" The silver guardian looked worriedly at her. "Princess, are you alright?" He lightly shook her shoulders, his green eyes probing her face, trying to gauge her thoughts. What he found was despair.

The Princess's eyes moved to look into his, refocusing. "Huh? Oh! I'm fine . . . . . . . just . . .worried about . . the girls, if they're all right or not."

"Well, there's no need to worry, we're here now." Uranus called, approaching the group.

"Uranus! . . . Neptune! . . . Pluto, Saturn! You're alright!" The Princess ran towards them and flung herself into Uranus, clutching the woman to her. Sobbing into Uranus' chest, the Senshi were just barely able to make her words. "I saw. . . the Earth General on-on the steps and I . . I was worried that some- something awful might've happened to-to you be-because you took so long!"

"Earth General?" The guardian queered, rubbing the back of his silver head.

Uranus patted the Princess's back, "For some reason the they let us go, I don't know why or what plan they had but we're here now and we weren't followed, I made sure." Uranus looked down at the girl, "Let's forget about it for the time being, ok?" She said comfortingly. The Princess looked up and smiled. With a slight nod she turned around to face her Senshi. Uranus joined them standing behind Neptune and put her hand on her shoulder. Next to her, Pluto had both of her hands on Saturn's shoulders in front of her. The raven haired guard stood beside Pluto and next to him was the silver haired guard, his brother and the oldest them, the brunette behind them. Each gave their Princess confidant smiles as she gazed at them.

Looking at her life-long friends and allies, the Princess fought to control her expression. _'I may never see them again after this moment. I'm so sorry my friends, but I have to do this, for the future of the universe, and for yours as well.'_ She sadly added. She drew her shoulders up and took a deep breath, closing her eyes, mustering the courage she needed. Re-opening her eyes, she gazed steadily at them.

"Alright, here goes."

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Malachite and the other generals were headed through the palace to the front. Each one was lost in his thoughts trying desperately to figure out what decisions they had made that had led them to this very spot. And each one was astonished to discover that it had happened when they had first met Queen Beryl of the Negaverse.

"Nephrite?"

"What is it?"

"I'm having second thoughts. What if the Star Kingdom really wasn't planning to attack the Earth? I mean the evidence was strong but now that I think about it, it all could have been a set up. The kingdom didn't appear to be going to war. What if . . .?"

"It's a little late to be questioning ourselves, isn't it? We'll just have to move forward, no matter what." Jedite growled. The three of them began to slow down, thinking hard about the situation that they were in. Malachite continued walking, his shoes clanking further and further away. When the others realized they were being left behind they hurried to catch up to their leader.

Malachite was also deep in thought; he didn't even notice that he had reached the entrance of the palace until a cold dread fell on him. Without lifting his eyes from the ground, he could feel that the atmosphere around him had changed. _'This doesn't feel right. It feels dead. There's no life here.'_ Malachite raised his eyes to look out at the front grounds of the palace. His eyes began to dart around, panic gripped his heart. Across the vast ground were bodies, hundreds of bodies. It looked like a battle had taken place but something was missing: something important. There were no enemies in the palace when he walked through only moments ago and none out here when he left. The grounds had been secured. Malachite stood frozen in his spot trying to figure out what had happened to the men. The other three generals came running up behind him and stopped dead.

"What happened?" Zoycite said slowly, almost breathlessly, scanning the grounds.

"There were no enemies here when we went to the back. There was no battle, we would have heard it!" Nephrite cried. "There were no enemies!" He said again, his alarm seeping into his voice.

Jedite then noticed something as he descended the stairs following Malachite. "These are only Earth soldiers, but I know that I had left Negaverse soldiers here as well and just as many. Where are they?!"

Malachite went to the first soldier he saw. He began to examine the body when he realized what it was about this scene that made it wrong. A weapon didn't kill the soldier; there was no blood any where on him. Malachite looked up sharply and rushed over to a few other bodies to find that the same held true for them as well! "No blood." he muttered.

Jedite looked down at the first soldier that Malachite had looked at and remembered the boy's face, the soldier he had left here, Lieutenant Jacent. Jedite had left him to guard the front steps, to save his life by not pitting him against the Senshi and now he was dead. He had died anyways. Anger festered inside Jedite as he gazed at Jacent's still corpse.

Malachite looked up from the soldier he was examining. "They weren't killed by weapons." Zoycite and Nephrite came down the steps and looked at a few of the bodies. "There was no battle here, it was a slaughter." Malachite's voice cracked.

Zoycite looked up, "What could have happened?" Jedite glanced at Malachite and nodded as if reading the questioning looked Malachite gave him. The nod confirmed Malachite's suspicion.

"Their energy has been drained from their bodies"

Nephrite looked stunned, "But . . . . b-but who?"

Malachite's eyes darkened. _"Beryl" _He growled

"Beryl had this planned from the start. There was no plan to attack Earth!" Malachite growled.

"But it doesn't' make sense!" Jedite shouted. "The Star Kingdom is taken. Even if Beryl had lied just to get support for this attack, why would she attack us now that the battle is over?" He slammed his fist into the ground. "Why now? The battle was won!"

Nephrite came to stand next to Malachite, "Because the Star Kingdom isn't the only thing she wants, right?" He said carefully, looking for Malachite's reaction. Malachite nodded.

"Okay, before we decide to retaliate against this powerful being from the Negaverse, you'll have to give me more evidence that it was Beryl who did this." Zoycite said hotly, looking very interested in keeping his head on his shoulders.

"Because Beryl made herself out to be more powerful than she really was. She needed to attack a kingdom that was far away from its allies and plan a sneak attack so that they couldn't defend themselves. By doing so, she would feed off of the energy of the dead and gain power." Jedite explained, rising from the ground. "When we went to the back she sucked the energy out of _our_ soldiers to gain even more energy but she thought that we would come back with the crystal of the Royal Family and thus full fill our use here. We might have been next."

Zoycite looked confused, "But we don't have the crystal."

"Exactly." Jedite said viciously, grinding his teeth in anger. "We don't have it and neither shall Beryl!" Zoycite seeming satisfied with this explanation, and not wanting to provoke Jedite any further, ceased his protesting.

"Now what do we do?" Nephrite asked the most obvious question to them all but one they didn't know exactly how to answer.

"**Now**_"_ hissed a voice from above the palace _"_You will finish what we set out to do_." _

The generals turned around to see Beryl float down from the roof of the palace to hover over the steps.

Malachite drew his sword, the others following suit. "You will pay for what you have done! We will finish this with your DEATH!"

"You are wrong, Malachite. I owe you no debt for this," she gestured at the field "But I will forgive you for this act and allow you to join me in my conquest of the universe. You apparently were able to kill the Senshi otherwise you wouldn't still be here. And we will correct your mistake of not getting the crystal." She hissed.

Malachite growled, "NEVER!"

Beryl's eyes flashed gold then red. She raised her staff and four beams of green energy shot out of the crystal sphere and pierced the bodies of the Earth Generals. The light filled their bodies, lifting them off the ground as their swords fell helplessly to the ground. Their tortured cries filled the still air as they tried fighting the evil rising in them. Their spirits were no match for the evil Beryl spread trough their bodies. Malachite heard Beryl cackle in the dim void he was in, "You'll have no choice." Before he blacked out, Malachite's last thought was with his Prince, and how he had failed him.

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Crystal tears fell from her eyes and ran down her cheeks as the seven spheres carrying her guards, no, her friends floated away. _'I wonder if I will survive this?'_ The solemn Princess bowed her head. "Uranus. Neptune. Pluto. Saturn. Please understand why I did this. Please forgive me." Memories flooded the young Princess's mind; memories of the four Senshi. The Princess clutched her body that racked with sobs as she thought about each of them. Uranus, her protector, her friend. Though she was a girl she had always been a big brother to the Princess rather than a big sister. Instead, Pluto had been her big sister. Always giving advice and helping her with her problems. Always there, just like Neptune. Neptune and the Princess shared similar interest in music and both of them loved archery. Neptune gave advice to her just like Pluto and comforted her when she was distraught. She had a very warm personality. Saturn in turn was always one to never give advice unless requested. When she was on duty she was serious but off-duty she was just like any other kid. She always had fun when she was around Saturn.

The Princess collapsed into the ground, sobbing harder. More memories, this time of three guards, pushed themselves into her mind. "I'm so sorry. Please forgive me." She wept, helpless against the thoughts that overwhelmed her. After a few moments, her cries quieted and she stood, wiping her tears. She could cry later. Now was not the time for grief. _'Even if I die here, I will have at the very least given the Moon a warning of what is to come so that this doesn't happen to them as well.'_ She looked up at the sky. The barrier that had hidden the garden faded and the Star Garden was reveled to the rest of the world. _'No turning back now.' _She resolved, getting to her feet. "Please, Serenity, take care of them." She prayed, giving the sky one last look and then lower her gaze to stare ahead. "Now!" She lifted her dress and ran. She rushed past the garden, pushing tree branches aside as she exited the forest around her beloved garden. She raced trough the rose garden and paused when she reached the bodies of the soldiers that had attacked them. It was in that moment that she had an eerie feeling wash over her body, freezing her to the spot. Looking away from the dead bodies on the ground around her feet, her gaze flee to the palace steps.

Standing shoulder to shoulder was the Earth Generals with their swords drawn and their shields up. Behind them were fifty or more monsters from the Negaverse. Above all of them was a teal-skinned woman with dark green hair floating around the top of her head. Her gold eyes rested on the Princess.

Queen Beryl cackled, "Where is your guard? Dead? The Generals' doing no doubt."

The Princess blinked. _'She doesn't know?'_ She looked from Beryl to Jedite's red eyes. Jedite's eyes weren't red before! Then it dawned on her. Beryl wasn't controlling them before but she was now!

"So, now you're all alone, little princess. No mommy and daddy to save you. No soldiers to protect you and no where to run!" Beryl's voice boomed.

The Princess stood tall with her hands at her sides and gave Beryl a smirk.

"Who said they died? And who said I was alone?"

Beryl's smile faded. She glanced at the generals and flashing her eyes she peered into their minds and discovered that the young girl was right. "Insolent fools!" She shouted with rage. She turned back to the Princess to find her looking into the sky. Beryl followed her gaze and saw seven spheres flying out of sight "NO!"

"See. You may have defeated this kingdom by brute strength but intellect wins wars. And we will win." Beryl turned back to her enemy.

"You forget, Princess," She growled. "You are still alone."

"No." She said calmly." I have one companion still with me." The Princess held up her right hand. Inside it sparkled something gold.

Beryl gasped in shock.

The Princess thrusted her hand high into the air . . . . .

"**Star Eternal Power!"**


	2. Chapter 1: Memories

Author's Note: Here is where some of the previous chapter will be explained. I am warning you that for my new character, the plot will change in a huge way so don't flame me for it, I am warning you.

Chapter One

Memories

The full moon shined down on a quiet house in the suburban neighborhood of Tokyo. The silent house held four young ladies sleeping soundly. One, however, was having a very hard time sleeping at the moment. Haruka tossed and turned in her bed, a thin sheet of sweat covered her brow. Her digital clock shone brightly in the dark; reading around one in the morning. Haruka continued tossing and turning: one second she rolled to her side and groaned something incoherent and in the next she was sitting straight up in bed clutching her sky blue sheets to her chest. Haruka's dark blue eyes faded from their dream state, focusing instead on her dim bedroom. She struggled to control her ragged breath. She glanced around as if to make sure she was really home.

"W-what was that?" She asked herself. "A nightmare? Or was it real?" Haruka tried to remember her dream. Sailor Neptune was there, and Pluto and Saturn. There was a palace, and people running everywhere in a panic. Haruka squeezed her eyes shut, trying to remember more. There were two people, a man and woman, in the front of the palace. They were fighting someone, another woman. Haruka tried to recall their faces. The woman, standing with the man, was very beautiful, in a long silver dress with long silver hair flowing freely. And her face, she looked like. . . . .

"It couldn't be!" Haruka gasped. She threw her comforter off and pulled her robe on, running straight to Michiru's room. She knocked on her door. "Michiru, wake up, I need to talk to you." Haruka could hear Michiru moving around and sure enough a moment later she was at the door wiping sleep from her eyes.

"Haruka? What is it? What's wrong?"

"Michiru, I had a dream, or maybe a vision; it was so very real and much too vivid to be a normal dream. But I don't remember anything like that ever happening to me it so it must be a vision." Haruka rambled on trying to explain what she had seen, but it sounded strange even to her.

"What was the dream about?" Michiru asked, pulling Haruka into her room and sitting her on the bed. "Is there something wrong? You looked worried."

Haruka clasped her hands over her knees. "The dream was about a battle. The problem is I don't know if it's a past battle or a future battle. It felt all new and yet like déjà vu. I'm not sure how else to explain it."

"It sounds complicated. Do you remember the whole dream?" Michiru asked.

"Yeah, well, most of it anyways."

"Do you thing we should tell the others too, it sounds like it might be important." Michiru said, pulling Haruka up. Haruka nodded her agreement. "It's late, but I'll go fix some coffee while you wake the other two, okay?" She smiled.

"Okay, sure." Haruka headed for Hotaru's room while Michiru went downstairs to the kitchen.

Upon reaching Hotaru's room, Haruka noticed her light was still on.

"Hotaru?" Haruka knocked then heard a call to enter.

Hotaru was sitting up in bed reading. "Haruka? Is something the matter?"

"Yeah," Haruka sighed. "I had a nightmare. What about you? Why are you up at this hour?" She glanced at the wall clock above Hotaru's closet that read nearly two in the morning. "Same." Hotaru replied laying her book down. "I wanted to read myself back to sleep."

"Well, I can't sleep and I think my dream may be more than a dream. I wanted to talk about it. How about you? Do you want to share yours? It might help you sleep if you talk about it."

Hotaru looked away for a moment as though contemplating whether or not she should tell anyone about her dream. It had been very startling, scary even, but the others should know about it, she concluded. "Yeah, I would like to share it with you guys." She smiled jumping out of bed.

"Alright! How about you go help Michiru downstairs; she's making us some coffee so see if she'll make some hot tea for you. Okay? I'll get Setsuna." Hotaru smiled and skipped down the stairs to help Michiru.

Haruka continued to the guardian of time's room. Setsuna was a very deep sleeper so when she didn't answer the door after Haruka knocked, she just walked in. Haruka shook Setsuna awake.

"Haruka?" She groaned, turning over to face the sky senshi. "What is it?"

"I had a nightmare." Haruka replied.

"Then go tell Michiru. I'm not your mommy." Setsuna retorted turning back over and curling up, clutching her dark green sheets to her. Feeling very much like the child Setsuna said she was, Haruka shook her again.

"Get up." She insisted. "This might be important. Besides, Hotaru's had a dream too that's kept her from sleeping."

"What?" Setsuna sat up immediately. "Hotaru did as well?"

Haruka laughed at her friend. "Let's go down to the kitchen, shall we?"

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"Michiru?"

"Yes, Hotaru?" Michiru turned from the stove to look at Hotaru sitting at the breakfast bar.

"Do you remember anything before we were born on earth?" Michiru turned to stare at Hotaru. The young girl stared at the steam floating from her cup and repeated her question.

"No. No I don't remember much, except feeling really lonely." Michiru sighed and tilted her head up. "I felt lonely and sad. Like there was no one in the universe around me." Michiru then looked at the bright-eyed girl. Hotaru stared at Michiru with curiosity that matched her age. "Then, in this life, the feelings were still there. They never changed until I met Haruka." She leaned on the bar and smiled. "I felt a connection, like she understood these feelings." Hotaru was quite for a moment. Michiru, thinking the questions had stopped, turned around to pour three cups of coffee. 'It's going to be a long night.' She thought.

"Did the loneliness go away?"

Michiru turned around, surprised by the question. To be perfectly honest, she had never really thought about it. It was enough that even some of it had gone away. Whether all of it had or not, Michiru had never asked herself that.

Hotaru rephrased the question believing she had not asked it right. "Did the sad feelings go away when you met her?" The Sea Scout wasn't sure how to answer. 'Yes, some did but. . . '

"No." Michiru stated, her eyes downcast.

"Huh?"

"The feelings didn't completely leave. I love Haruka but I still have a void." Michiru turned around again.

"But that's okay, right?" Hotaru walked over to her and grabbed her hands. "Because someday the void will be filled." Hotaru smiled. Michiru looked down at the young girl.

"Yes. You may be right."

"Are we interrupting a tender moment?"

The two girls turned to see Setsuna and Haruka coming down the stairs. "No. Not really. Hotaru and I were just wondering where you two were."

"Setsuna!" Hotaru cried. "You're awake! Now we can talk about the dreams!"

Haruka took her cup and sat down on the love seat in the living room. Michiru joined her after handing Setsuna her cup. Hotaru curled up with Setsuna in a corner of the couch opposite of the love seat.

"Hotaru?" Haruka asked, "Would you like to tell us about your dream?" Hotaru shook her head in reply. Haruka sighed. "Alright, then I'll tell you about mine.

In my dream I was standing in large corridor with people running around in a panic. I was shouting orders, telling people how to escape and then sending others to the armory, as though a battle was going on. The building shook, no doubt from an attack, just then and I saw you two, Setsuna and Hotaru, running towards me. There was a young girl between you two, around maybe seventeen or so in age. She was wearing this beautiful cream dress and had very long silver hair."

"Was it Princess Serenity?" Michiru asked.

"No, it was someone I had never seen before. Her hair wasn't put up like the Princess; it was down, flowing freely."

"Hmmmm, then maybe it wasn't anything to do with the Moon Kingdom." Setsuna said.

"No, it had to have something to do with the Moon. We were dressed in our sailor outfits. I don't know what else it could have been but just listen till the end." Haruka said, putting her cup down and folding her hands in front of her. "I handed that girl something really small. When she saw it she started to cry. I don't know what I gave her but it seemed to rattle her. Anyways that was when you, Michiru, came running up, as Sailor Neptune, of course. The young girl looked up expectantly and asked you something, I don't remember what it was but you wouldn't answer, you just looked away. She collapsed on the floor this time, crying her eyes out. It was really heart breaking to watch. I asked you guys to take her somewhere when Neptune interrupted saying that we were needed at the front; something about a battle getting worse. At this point, well, its hard to explain really."

"The girl had silver hair. . . .and a cream dress? Was it in a place made of marble with a high ceiling?" Hotaru asked suddenly.

"Hotaru? You saw this person, too?" Haruka gave Hotaru a hard look.

"Yes. She was about that same age and looked the way you described." She explained. "But I think my dream happened differently. Like maybe before your dream."

Setsuna turned Hotaru to her. "You mean you had a dream like Haruka's tonight? About this girl?"

Hotaru nodded. "It was scary there. People were running everywhere and there were shock waves every few minutes."

"That's exactly it!" Haruka suddenly exclaimed, startling Michiru next to her. "It must be that we had synchronized dreams, or at least close to it."

"But yours happened before Haruka's? So what was yours about exactly?" Michiru asked Hotaru.

"Pluto and I were running down a long and very crowded corridor as well. When we reached a particular room there was that girl that you described, Haruka, sitting on a love seat. It must have been a parlor room of sorts; it was very fancy with couches and chairs everywhere. The girl was crying when we came in. Pluto grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet, shouting something. I think she said that it was time to go." Hotaru recited her dream as though she had perfect memory of it. "That was when your dream picked up, Haruka."

"So, what else happened?" Setsuna was quite literally on the edge of her seat.

"The most disturbing of things." Haruka said quietly. The other's attention was back on her. Hotaru looked very puzzled though.

"What was it? What's so disturbing?"

"When you guys all arrived and then we gave that girl over to the other three and ran outside. . . . . ."

"Who's 'the other three'?" Michiru interrupted.

Hotaru answered, "There were three men that arrived after you, Michiru. Each was dressed in black and had very long hair pulled back in a ponytail. We gave the girl to them to look after and started racing outside the palace to the battleground. Though Uranus didn't want to give her over to them at first, I didn't think they were bad guys."

"Whoa, now we're in a palace?" Michiru interrupted again, looking even more puzzled than before.

"Yes, it was a large marble palace, eloquently decorated, like the Moon Palace but don't get me wrong, this wasn't on the Moon." Haruka picked up again. "As we were running, others joined us from various parts of the palace. It was like we had our own personal army." She laughed. "But when we got to the front, I saw a gruesome battle. In the middle of it were three people fighting. A horrible woman with flaming red hair was fighting these other two, a man and a woman. They must have been the girl's parents. It was then that I thought that she was a princess, from the way that these two looked. They must have been the royal family of the palace that we were in, though I still don't know where this took place. The woman and the girl looked alike and they were dressed similarly but it was also a feeling I had. It was like I knew immediately that she was royalty." Haruka paused to take a breath, "The thing that most disturbed me was the woman, the queen. She was elegant, regal in bearing, even in battle. She was pale, with brilliant blue eyes, and long silver hair. She looked like Queen Serenity." Haruka nodded in agreement. She had seen the woman too, the queen of the kingdom.

"She could have been her twin, but there was a different feeling around her. That's how I knew she wasn't Queen Serenity."

"What?!" Setsuna cried, the shock she felt displayed on her face. Michiru's eyes also mirrored Setsuna's. It wasn't possible. To the four outer senshi, Queen Serenity was their savior. They were in the dark void of space, far away from any light and it was Queen Serenity who had embraced them. She had saved them. They owed her so much which was why they fought so fiercely to protect her daughter. They love Usagi very much but it was her mother who had inspired them. They could see her mother's heart and light in Usagi and are very determined to protect her. To even think that someone could remotely resemble their Queen, and not be a blood relative, was outrageous! But Haruka, the most protective one of Usagi, had said it, had acknowledged the possibility.

The four of them sat in silence for a few moments, letting everything that had been said penetrate their minds. It was a bit much. They were in an unfamiliar kingdom in an unfamiliar battle against an unknown foe. They had no idea who the other three guards were. They didn't even know if this was the past or what was to come. If it was the past, then why don't they remember it and if it was the future, then where was Usagi and the others? Haruka peered at the clock again; it was about half past three now.

"That was all. I woke up from the shock of the battle." Haruka said, rising from her seat. "Was that the same with you, Hotaru?"

Hotaru mutely nodded.

Michiru took a very deep breath. "But, what could it mean? Was it in the past? Or was it a vision of the future?"

"It's not any future I know of." Setsuna said. Being the Guardian of Time, Pluto spent many years guarding the gateways of space and time. She is a very good friend and confidant of Small Lady, Usagi and Mamoru's future pink haired daughter. "I don't recall seeing any of that in the future I visited. No princess as you described exists in that future."

"But then what could it mean?" Haruka asked.

Suddenly a knock on their front door interrupted their conversation.

"Who could that be at this hour?" Haruka said, getting up to answer the door. "Who's there?" She shouted into the wood of the door.

"It's me, Ami. I need to talk to you guys." Haruka unlocked the door and had it opened before Ami could finish.

"Oh, that was quick." Ami seemed startled. Haruka moved to the side to let her in. "Listen, we're having a Sailor Senshi meeting at Rei's."

"What's the matter?" Haruka asked, "Is there something wrong?"

"Ami, what is it?" Setsuna asked, entering the foyer with the other two right behind her.

"Oh, well, Rei's had a dream, a vision." Ami replied. "She said that it was important that she share it with us, before she forgets it. It has something to do with our past, I think, the Moon Kingdom."

The outer senshi looked at each other. How strange that Rei would have a vision the same night as their dream. Ami appeared confused at their behavior. "Did I say something weird?" She asked.

"It seems that Rei was not the only one who had a dream tonight." Haruka said, turning back to Ami. "Hotaru and I each had one that we suspect was about our past, though it wasn't the Moon Kingdom where it took place, but somewhere else entirely."

Ami gave her a curious look. "That is strange."

"Yes, but that story can be told later at the temple. We need to get to Rei's and see the others." Setsuna said. "Ami, there is some hot water in the kitchen if you would like some tea while we get dressed."

"Thank you." Ami said, as the four senshi went to their separate rooms to dress.

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Rei, aka Sailor Mars, lived with her grandfather at the Cherry Hill Temple. She was a priestess with special powers that often came in handy with Senshi business. Tonight would probably be the same as before when she had predicted things or helped them to find the next target of the bad guys. Her priestess powers were very useful.

The outer senshi and Ami arrived at the temple only to find that they were the last to arrive. They were in the main hall, since there were so many, they couldn't fit in Rei's room. Rei had laid out seat cushions for everyone in a circle.

Hotaru bounced into the room, "Good Morning!" She shouted cheerfully! She sat down next to Makoto. "How's it going?"

"You're oddly awake at this hour." Makoto commented.

"We were already awake when Ami came over." Haruka said, walking in followed by the others. "Hotaru and I had very strange dreams. The same one, in fact."

Rei looked up from serving the tea. "What kind of dream?"

Sitting down beside Hotaru, Haruka sighed. "It was strange. A very sad and strange dream."

"You'll have to tell us about your dream too." Minako said.

"That fine, but let's hear Rei's dream first since that is why we are all here." Haruka said, accepting her tea cup from Rei. Rei nodded and then finished passing out the tea. She sat and the head of the circle beside Usagi and Minako. "My dream was about a battle. It was at this golden palace." The outer senshi exchanged glances. "It reminded me of the Silver Moon Kingdom except that the coloring was radically different. Where there should have been silver, there was bright gold. And instead of a moon symbol adorning the palace there was a four pointed star. When my dream started, an army descended from the sky and clashed with another army that came pouring out of the palace gates. The fight raged on, swords clashing against shields and battle cries mixed with death cries." Rei shuddered against the memory. "It was then that two people arrived on the battlefield, from the palace. One was a man who was dressed in black, and carried a scepter that let out a bright light, creating a shield on the palace. The one who came with him was a woman, dressed all in white, with long silver hair. She faced the enemy and let out a stream of light from her hand that vanquished and entire line of soldiers. It was in that flash that I saw her face. Brilliant blue eyes, pale skin and a stern look with the barest hint of kindness underneath. She resemble our. . . . ."

"Queen Serenity." Haruka whispered. Rei's head snapped in her direction.

"You've seen her? The woman in my dream?"

"Yes, because she was in mine as well as Hotaru's." Haruka explained.

"So all of you had the same dream?" Makoto asked, looking very shocked.

"No, each dream started at a different point but ended with the same person. At least I'm assuming that that was where your dream ended, Rei." Haruka said, looking around at everyone, her eyes stopping only on Rei.

The priestess nodded. "Yeah, it was in that flash, right after I saw her face that I woke up."

"But where and when did this take place?" Ami asked. "Was it in the past or the future? Perhaps the woman is Usagi's grandmother?"

"No, it wasn't that far back, if it was in the past." Haruka said. "We were there. Me, Michiru, Setsuna and Hotaru were all there. And we were dressed as senshi." There was a resounding gasp in the group.

"So it could be in the past?" Usagi whispered. "But why doesn't anyone remember it?"

"Wait, there's more." Hotaru piped. "We were escorting a young girl through the palace in our dream. She was dressed in a cream dress and had brilliant silver hair, as long as yours, Usagi. We figured that she was the princess of that palace and that the other two were her parents."

"So they were the royal family. But why were the four of you there?" Minako, who had reminded quiet until then, asked.

"Who knows, maybe it is the future or maybe, ah, well, I don't really know." Haruka said, rubbing her head in a frustrated manner.

With that the group fell into a debate about the possibilities of the dreams, and what they could possibly mean. Through their talks, the two felines, Luna, a black cat, and Artemis, a white cat, conversed in quiet voices. The crescent moon that shined on both their foreheads showed their allegiance with the Moon Kingdom, Usagi's home world. With a nod of agreement, the two cats jumped from their high post and joined the group, coming up beside Usagi.

Luna pawed at Usagi's leg, while Usagi was arguing with Rei. "Usagi." Luna said, trying to gain her attention. "Usagi, we need to tell you something." Luna said, a little louder. When Usagi still didn't notice her cat beside her, Luna jumped, claws out, and landed right on Usagi's leg, digging her claws into flesh. Usagi reacted as expected: jumping about two feet in the air, bubbles of tears forming at her eyes as her high pitched squeal of pain alerted the others to what was going on.

"LUNA!" Usagi screamed, grabbing the cat. "WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU?! " Luna pawed her face, claws retracted.

"You weren't paying attention. I have something important to tell all of you. It's about your dreams, or rather, your memories." Luna said with a very serious tone. Everyone immediately snapped to attention. Luna and Artemis had been advisors to Queen Serenity on the Moon Kingdom. After coming to Earth, Luna supervised Usagi as Sailor Moon and Artemis assisted Minako as Sailor Venus until all the Senshi found one another again. They were the only ones with their memories completely intact. But even with those memories, they still had a hard time finding the Sailor Senshi and then the Moon Princess. However, when it came to stories of the past, they were a wealth of information.

"What are you talking about, Luna?" Setsuna asked. "Do you know something we do not?"

Luna and Artemis took a place in the middle of the group. "Yes. We were never going to tell you about it and we didn't think it would ever come up." Artemis said. "The dreams that the three of you had were not just dreams, but memories of your past life before being reborn on Earth. However, in Rei's case, it was a vision of the past. She was never present at that siege."

"That doesn't make sense though." Haruka said quietly. "We only ever served the Moon Kingdom. We four outer Senshi guarded the outer solar system from attack. We were by ourselves in that abyss."

Luna shook her head, a sad look in her eye. "No, your memories were tailored to fit that idea. It was Queen Serenity who took those memories and gave you a different idea of what you were doing before returning to the Moon. She was asked to do so by the girl in your dreams. She was your true princess."

"WHAT?!" Everyone was taken back by the statement. There was another princess!? But how was it possible?

"Luna, you must have made a mistake. There's no way that could be true. Our memories have already returned to us. Just like the other Senshi, they have their full memory back, too." Michiru said with calm confidence while her eyes showed the true confusion inside.

"Just stop and listen to our story, please?" Luna said, giving the outer Senshi a very pitiful look. "I know that this must be hard for you to understand with what you thought you knew and where your allegiance lies. But please listen through to the end."

Everyone quieted down, though Haruka had a mutinous look. She had seen with her own eyes the young girl, the princess, the kingdom, the palace and the battle. But it was still too much to believe that they had been lied to for so long. That what they thought their life had been like was not the life they had actually lived. There was no way it could be true, of that, Haruka was sure.

"Long ago, before you were born, there was a beautiful kingdom here on Earth. The kingdom was ruled by two powerful beings, the King and Queen of the Earth. Their names have long since passed into memorial and Queen Serenity never told us who they were. But, we do know that they had only two children, twins. To give both young children an opportunity to make their own way in the universe, they were each given a kingdom away from the Earth when they came of age. After the parents passed on, both children remained at their respective kingdoms, leaving the rule of Earth to the noble families living there. The two children were Queen Serenity of the Moon Kingdom and Queen Asteria (see author's note at the bottom) of the Star Kingdom. Queen Serenity was the older of the two sisters and yes, they were identical twins. Two ladies you would never see in your life time. They were each others' best friends. When you saw them in the same room, standing side by side, a feeling would wash over you; a feeling of safety, love and warmth." Luna sighed, caught up in her memories. "Each kingdom had their own objectives to full fill. The Moon Kingdom was designated to watch over the humans on Earth and protect them from the supernatural being from outside our solar system. The Star Kingdom was charged with the same task, but from a different standpoint. It was to protect the entire solar system, including the Moon. It was between the planets Uranus and Neptune on a cluster of stars that were formed to house this kingdom specifically."

Luna paused a moment in her tale to let it sink in for everyone and allow anyone to ask a question at this point. When everyone stayed quiet, Luna continued. "Just like with the Moon Kingdom, the Star Kingdom had a princess: her name was Princess Ceres (see author's note at bottom). She was around your age, Usagi, maybe a year younger. She was very beautiful. She had very long silver hair, like her mom. But she had inherited her father's brilliantly gold eyes. Those eyes could piece a person standing across the room. And like you, Usagi, she had her own guard. It was the princesses from the surrounding four planets, Uranus, Neptune, Saturn and Pluto." Luna paused again to see if any of the outer Senshi were going to say something. After looking at them, she continued, though the look Hotaru was giving her was a little unnerving. "It was shortly before the Moon fell to Queen Beryl that the Star Kingdom met its fate."

It was a strange place to interrupt but it was then that Haruka spoke up. "Who is Queen Beryl?"

The inner Senshi gasped, "You don't know?!"

The outer Senshi were taken aback. Michiru nodded, "We weren't present in the final battle."

"Queen Beryl is the queen of the Negaverse. She attacked the Moon Kingdom with a huge army." Rei explained. "It was in that final battle that Queen Serenity, after seeing her daughter and Prince Endymion die, sealed us up in crystals and sent us to Earth in the far future where we were reborn. She died shortly after. Then Queen Beryl appeared here on Earth and that was when our powers were awakened. We already defeated her a few years back."

"What did she look like?" Haruka asked.

"Well, when we first saw her she looked well, she had pale skin, bright red hair. She wore a black dress and, Haruka, are you alright?" Rei stopped in her description. Haruka was shaking, her eyes unfocused in front of her. Michiru shook her, calling her name.

"It was her." Haruka finally whispered. "She was the one."

Luna padded over to the girl. "That was what was assumed on the Moon. We didn't know who the enemy was, your memory gone, but we assumed when her attack came that it was Queen Beryl who destroyed it."

Haruka focused on Luna. "So, it's true. We were never part of the Moon Kingdom. It was Queen Serenity's resemblance to our Queen that endeared her to us, even when we didn't know why."

"Haruka?" Michiru looked uncertainly at her partner.

Haruka gave her a tragic look. "It can't be helped, Michiru. We don't have our memories and for whatever the reason we still haven't recovered them. I think that maybe with time they will come back."

Setsuna agreed. "We can't know for sure, but one thing is certain, we had a princess to protect, and now she is gone."

"Luna, did anyone survive that siege?" Makoto asked hesitantly.

"Only the Senshi; everyone else was destroyed." Luna said.

Haruka patted the black cat on her head. "Thank you, Luna, for finally telling us the truth." Luna purred her response.

Usagi hummed, "I understand why Haruka and Hotaru had dreams about their memories, but why did Rei?"

"That's a good question, Usagi." Rei commented. "Why would I have a dream about it? A forecast of things to come, perhaps?"

Artemis shook his head, "It would do no good to get our hopes up that maybe someone else survived the battle and that we're reacting to their presence. Maybe you were being overly sensitive tonight, Rei, and piped into their feelings by accident."

Rei nodded, "It is possible."

"Wait, Luna, I just remember something else from my dream." Haruka said. "There were three other people there with the princess. They were male guards dressed in all black. Do you know who they are?"

Luna looked thoughtful for a moment then looked at Artemis. It was he who answered. "It might have been the three inner guards. The King of the Star Kingdom was from outside the solar system. He hired those guards from his home world to protect the Princess when you four were away for whatever reason. Don't forget, you were princesses of your own respective planets. However, about those three, Luna and I never saw them, so we can't tell you who they were."

Haruka nodded in understanding.

"I have a question, too." Michiru said. "How did we survive and no one else did?"

"There was a message from Princess Ceres when you arrived on the Moon. Queen Serenity never told us the contents. We assumed she sent you away, as extra protection for the Moon." Luna explained.

"I understand." Michiru said.

Luna looked around the group. Setsuna had a similar calm understanding, like Michiru. They were just accepting the facts with their head and not allowing possible feelings to move in yet; at least not until they could ascertain their emotions. Haruka was quiet again, having to think about what she had seen tonight in her dream and how to interpret the story Luna told her. It was difficult to swallow, as Luna knew it would be, but it was possible. Haruka would probably be the first of them to fully understand what took place. Luna then turned her attention to Hotaru, who had remained very quiet through the entire discussion, asking no questions. She had this look in her eyes, Luna couldn't quite place it. It seemed like the young girl had simply come to an understanding of what took place and just accepted it, no questions asked. But there was something else, a spark that disappeared as soon as Luna looked for it. The other Senshi, the ones who fought at the Moon Kingdom, while still not quite in understanding, were used to finding out new information about their past and were relatively unchanged. After all, this new information Luna told them really didn't affect their allegiance to Usagi, it just fleshed out their past into a wider spectrum. Usagi had a strange look on her face, however, as though she were trying to stay composed. When Luna saw this she decided to get her home.

"It's still early, we should all return home and try to get some rest tonight." Luna said to everyone, breaking the silence. "It's nearly five." That got everyone's attention; they still had school in the morning and the ones who didn't had work. They started to gather their stuff and bid farewell to each other. Luna padded alongside Usagi, observing her very closely. She would have to talk to her when they got home or perhaps after school tomorrow.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Over looking the temple, high on the tori, stood three figures. One of them couldn't sleep earlier that night and went for a late night walk when he spotted three of the girls walking together. Because it was so late and they were headed for the Cherry Hill Temple, Rei's house, he called his brothers and followed them. They weren't sure what they would find, but the story they overheard was too much. Moon Kingdom? Star Kingdom? That didn't make any sense to them at all. After all, according to Sailor Uranus, they were invaders from outside the solar system, so they knew nothing about the place they were living in. Still, it was good to know what was going on, regardless of its significance to their mission. They were in strange territory, not enemies of the local Senshi, but not specifically allied with them either.

"Wow, for once your insomnia came in handy, Taiki." Seiya, a tall man with long black hair pulled into a low ponytail, commented to his brother.

Taiki's purple eyes glared at Seiya, his long brown hair tied similar like his brother wafted in the wind. "I'm NOT an insomniac." Seiya smiled teasingly.

"It was fortunate that you saw them though." Yaten said, flicking his silver hair back over his shoulder as he straightened from his crouching position.

"While interesting, I fail to see how it's fortunate for us." Taiki commented raising an eyebrow.

Yaten hummed. "I have no idea."

Seiya nearly fell off their perch from the comment. "Y-Yaten, you should speak more clearly."

"Well, I find it fortunate to learn more about what's going on so that we do not get surprised is what I'm trying to say, I guess." Yaten clarified.

"Agreed, but it still has nothing to do with us. Lets go back home." Taiki said turning to leave.

"Their story is similar to ours." Seiya whispered, before jumping away. Taiki and Yaten were momentarily taken aback but just followed him instead of asking questions. They agreed with the cat, it was late and they also had school in the morning.

* * *

Author's Note:

I did warn you it would be different, so don't flame me for it if you don't like it. Just quit reading.

**Please Review! :)**

**Asteria** is a Greek, I think its Greek, goddess of the stars. She was the only one I could find whose name I liked and had to do with stars.

**Ceres** is not taken from Ayashi No Ceres. Ceres is another goddess from mythology and I just like the sound of it. She's actually the goddess of the Earth and therefore nothing to do with stars, but her name reminds me of celestial so I chose it.

**Tori **is the red archway that you see in Japanese temples. This was the name that I found for them anyways.


	3. Chapter 2: Hoshiko

Author's note: Here it is! Chapter two! Sorry it's been so long. School and work really do keep me tied up but both chapters two and three were being done at the same time so chapter three should follow real soon. It's time to briefly introduce my character. I'm excited and nervous. You'll hear more about her in chapter three, though. I feel that I once again have to remind you guys so here it is: _new plot, new KEY character, EVERYTHING will change!_ You can't say I didn't warn you. Canon fans, if you haven't turned back by now, you are not allowed to flame me! Ample warning and all that in place, I realize that some characters may seem OOC but I feel like they all have a different side that they only show to certain people, so I wanted to throw that in there but they should be back to normal by chapter three.

**Please review**, it really does help the creative process. Just no flames! Still fragile over here!

Chapter Two

Hoshiko

"Monday." Usagi sighed, sitting at her desk. _'I hate Mondays.'_ 'They're boring, long, and exhausting,' she thought while staring blankly at the board chewing her pencil, her thoughts had been occupied by the talk from the previous night. The walk home with Luna was awkward. Luna had been sitting on this information for so long that it was just weird to discuss anything with her. She probably knew more than what she had told them last night. Usagi had almost asked her if there was anything else she could tell them but decided against it. Luna had been staring at her strangely the whole night, like she was afraid that Usagi would just break apart. In truth, Usagi thought might. She had always wondered if anyone from her Moon Kingdom family had survived, but never voiced it, too afraid of the answer. Now she found out that she had an aunt and cousin in a different kingdom! She really did have a larger family than she realized.

Usagi didn't sleep at all when she got home; her head was filled with too many questions. She wondered if she and her cousin were close, if they laughed and went to dances together, if they wrote each other and talked about girl things. Usagi imagined that they were close, that their mothers were close and would visit often and that Usagi and her cousin would play games when they were little and take walks in the garden when they were older. It was those very thoughts that depressed her. She had this wonderful family, she imagined, and couldn't remember them at all: even worse, they were all dead. Everything she had known had been erased from this world and erased from her memory. It wasn't really fair. Queen Serenity, her mother, might have had a good reason for taking her memories but the resulting effect was just as cruel as knowing in the first place.

The destruction of the Star Kingdom, to Usagi, was an even greater tragedy than the Moon. The Moon was able to send everyone there to earth to start new lives. It was with Queen Serenity's last strength, her own will power that saved everyone. The Star Kingdom, as far as they were aware, had only four survivors. Maybe a few others had made it but who knew where they were or if they even remembered anything. That was what made it the greater tragedy; the kingdom had been almost completely annihilated. No one had made it out with their lives. Her thoughts back on them, Usagi put her head down to hide the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes.

In the same classroom, Minako and Makoto were thinking along the same lines as Usagi. They weren't paying any attention to the lesson; they were off in a daze. They didn't understand how they could have some memories and not others. They thought that they remembered everything but in fact they did not. Even more than that, there was another princess, like theirs, but she had died at the hands of Beryl long ago. Princess Ceres had done something; she had sent her Senshi to the Moon to help out there. But why had she done it...that's what Minako wanted to know. Why didn't all of them flee, her included and the other three they couldn't identify? Why only the planetary Senshi, and why did they leave her? From what Minako could tell from the outer Senshi, they were dead loyal and fierce warriors. They would never have left the princess against their wills. So what had happened to make them leave? And where were they memories of that time? So many questions still remain unanswered. Not that it matters, she reflected, what was done was done but for some strange reason it was nagging her. It was like a little thought in the back of her head that she can't remember or the lyrics to a song that she could hum but not sing. Minako sighed; she just couldn't figure it out. Behind her, Makoto was thinking along the same lines, about what had happened. But she was about as close to the answer as Minako. Heaving a sight, Makoto decided to pay better attention to the lesson, but her thoughts strayed again.

Taiki, Seiya, and Yaten were very fortunate that they were in the same class as the other three very distracted girls. Each watched them carefully. It wasn't unusual for Usagi to not pay attention in class, but normally that was because she was eating not laying with her head down on her desk. The other two paid better attention than Usagi, but today, their hearts clearly weren't in it. The boys figured that it must have been due to the meeting the previous night that all the girls seemed particularly spacey. This made some of them itch to know more about what was going on. It didn't matter to them, really, what was happening on Earth, but they couldn't seem to help themselves from getting closer to the girls. It wasn't part of their mission, but making friends on this planet was fun, pleasant really. They did not forget their mission, to find their lady, but it didn't mean they couldn't have some fun along the way.

It was then the bell rang, dismissing class for the day. The noise shook the girls from their thoughts. The students stood as the teacher released the class and left. The girls gathered their book bags, Usagi's eyes noticeably puffy, and left without looking around.

"It's possible that this may be worthwhile to investigate." Taiki commented to his brothers as they watched the girls from the classroom window, who were now joined by Ami, leaving the school yard. "It might affect their job as Senshi, and that would be troublesome for us."

Seiya shook his head at his brother's analysis of the situation. "Cold as always, Taiki."

* * *

Haruka sat on the living room couch, her arm casually draped over the back as she flipped trough channels. Nothing was on at the moment, or least that's what she tried to convince herself of after flipping through over 200 channels. It was either: garbage, trash or junk as far as she was concerned. She had a rough night last night. She couldn't sleep when they got home. She didn't have work in the morning unlike Setsuna, who was a nurse at Hotaru's school, or Michiru who had a recording to go to that day. Haruka could have gone with Michiru, but after that dream, she didn't feel like having much human contact for awhile.

It really was all too much. She had always thought that they, the outer Senshi, had been alone, that they had never had anyone to protect until they traveled to the Moon Kingdom. And she, Haruka, was one who had seen her previous life, witnessed the destruction and seen the forgotten faces first hand. Setsuna and Michiru hadn't seen them. They didn't see the princess collapse into tears on the ground with people running around in a panic. They hadn't seen her sorrow nor hear her tears. To them it was a forgotten memory that they may never recover. Now it wasn't fair to them, Haruka reflected, they might be hurting just as much over the lies. It was unlike the inner Senshi, to them, they just forgot. The outer Senshi had their memories altered in the worst way. They took their happy memories, admittedly bitter sweet in the end, and made them think that they had been alone for most of their lives until going to the Moon. It was unfair. When Haruka got home last night, she claimed to be tired and went up to bed, only she didn't sleep. She lay awake for hours, in truth she didn't go back to sleep at all. She thought about everything she had seen and what Luna had said. She wished that she could remember all of it. She wanted to know who her Princess had been and if she was kind, caring and energetic like her relative. The Princess she had seen in her dream was nothing like Usagi; but it could only be expected with the situation she had been in and the melancholy feelings she must have had.

Haruka sighed again, leaning her head on the back of the couch, giving up on distracting herself with the TV. _I wonder if there is a way to recover my memories. Luna hadn't mentioned how we lost them or who took them. I'll have to ask her about it the next time I see her._ While lost in her thoughts, staring at the ceiling, Haruka was also oblivious to her surroundings and thus was very surprised when Michiru's face appeared in front of hers, though upside down.

"Are you all right, Haruka?" Michiru inquired peering at her partner in a concerned manner. After cooling her heart rate back down, Haruka merely sighed, again, and shook her head.

"It's hard to explain, Michiru." Haruka said, turning to face her as she sat beside her on the couch. "The memories from the dream won't go away. They persist. I can't help but think of how she must have felt in the end, our Princess. I can't help but wonder what happened, where we were and what happened to her." Haruka buried her face in her hands, Michiru's presence making her feel more open and prized. Michiru always had that effect on Haruka. They were in love, it couldn't be denied. They were great friends and more comfortable around each other than anyone else. Michiru always shed Haruka's armor, leaving her open. Haruka didn't mind the feeling, except when she felt especially weak; this was one of those moments.

She was once again recalling the face of her Princess, and once again, like so many times last night, she was crying. She tried to hide it from Michiru in a cough, but knew better. "She was so young, no more than sixteen: so very young, and so very fragile. The way she collapsed on the floor crying after she tried to be so brave." Haruka's voice choked, she tried again to cough it away. "I wanted nothing more than to banish her helplessness and sorrow, somehow. I felt weak, powerless to help her." Haruka looked up, her cheeks soaked with tears. "And all those feeling when I didn't even understand who she was!"

Michiru had only seen her partner like this a few times, so helpless. It broke her heart and all she could think to do was to cradle her and protect her. Michiru pulled Haruka to her and held her there, patting her back and cooing softly. "It'll be all right, Haruka, it'll be just fine. Let it all out, let it out."

That broke Haruka and her sorrow over her lost Princess and the stolen memories came full force. She cried and yelled at the insanity, the injustice, the pain. She cried and held onto Michiru as though her life depended on it; as though her very existence was tied to her. Her grief poured out of her body, leaving her weak, but she kept crying and murmuring. Michiru held herself in check. She had to be strong for Haruka. She had to help her through this, even though she couldn't understand it completely.

She had no image to go with Haruka's sorrow. She had no way to know how she felt. She didn't have a face to go with the loss. Haruka did. Haruka had seen so much, and understood more than Michiru did. Michiru couldn't comprehend the loss. Oh she knew very well what was stolen from her, her life, her memories, her past, she knew her loss, but not Haruka's. She only knew she had been cheated. She knew that she had had a happier existence once, and couldn't recall any of it. It felt like waking up from a coma and not remembering your childhood but remembering your adolescent years. It was a cheat. But she had no inclination to dwell on her own feelings, not when she knew how torn up Haruka and Hotaru were. Maybe, sometime later, she could sort her feelings out and come to terms with what had happened; but not now. Haruka needed her to be a rock, and she would do anything for the woman she loved.

It was a while later before Haruka had settled down. She fell asleep in Michiru's lap as Michiru sang softly to her. Michiru understood her exhaustion, she doubted that Haruka had slept much when they got home, or that day at all. She needed rest. Michiru gently lifted Haruka's head and settled it on a pillow. She went to find a large blanket, settling on a deep blue fleece and covered Haruka with it. Kissing her forehead, Michiru headed to the kitchen to cook dinner as Setsuna and Hotaru would be home within the hour and she wanted to have dinner ready by then.

* * *

Michiru wasn't too far off in her assumption because at that moment Hotaru arrived in Setsuna's office ready to go home. What she was wrong about was the state of Hotaru's emotions. She seemed perfectly fine, not torn up or sad at all in fact. Setsuna knew this because she had been repeatedly checking on the young girl all day. She was worried over lack of sleep and the state of her heart as well. It was a good idea to take a position in the same school as Hotaru, considering her powers and what could happen to her if she had no help. If an attack occurred at the school, no one would be able to get there very fast, maybe Haruka, but leaving variables that could end up with a possible bad ending as far as Hotaru was concerned was not something Setsuna would do. It wasn't distrust in any of the Senshi; it was more of an extremely worried 'mother' about her little girl. But as Setsuna checked up on Hotaru, she found nothing wrong with her at all! She seemed her usually cheery self. She played and chatted with her classmates like nothing had happened. She didn't even seem sleepy. Setsuna had to admit that she didn't quite expect it, not that she wasn't happy that Hotaru seemed to be all right, it was quite the opposite. She was just happy that the previous night had not deeply affected the girl. It would not be good to have her upset and distracted, especially with this new enemy getting closer and closer to the Senshi. They all needed to be on their guard.

"Are you ready to go home?" Hotaru chirped, bouncing in the office.

Setsuna nodded, "Yes, just a moment." She finished filing a few papers and grabbed her purse. "Let's head home." She said placing her arm across Hotaru's shoulder, guiding her back out the door.

Their walk home consisted of the usually conversation. How was school? Was work busy? What did you learn about today? Setsuna would have rather stuck to the safer topics than to bring up last night in case Hotaru had only been putting on a front at school. While Setsuna doubted the possibility of it, she wasn't ready to rule it out either. She watched Hotaru carefully from the corner of her eyes as she went on about what one of her friends had done it class that day. Still nothing happened. Hotaru still seemed to be her usual self.

Setsuna must have been too lost in her thoughts to notice that Hotaru had stopped talking and was now waving her hand in her face to try and wake her from her daze. "Setsunaaaa." She called.

Setsuna finally blinked and stopped walking altogether. "Ah! I'm sorry Hotaru, what were you saying?"

Hotaru gave her a dubious look. "Were you paying _any_ attention to what I was saying, or were you. . . " Hotaru looked away quickly.

"Was I what, Hotaru?" She asked.

Hotaru looked down at her feet. "Are you thinking about what happened last night?" She asked in a quiet voice. Setsuna was taken aback. She didn't see that coming. Her concern for Hotaru over shadowed anything she was thinking.

"Ah, well, not in so many words. I was more concerned about you and how you were feeling today. You had the dream, the memories. I was concerned about you more than anyone." Setsuna replied.

Hotaru smiled up at her. "I know that I was the one who had the dream but I'm not at all sad about any of it. There's no way to explain it."

"You're not sad?" Setsuna gave her an uncertain look. Haruka had been moping about all day, according to Michiru who had called Setsuna earlier in the day. Why were the two so different? Was it possible that Hotaru was unaware of what had occurred? That she was still too young in her age, despite her wisdom that came with being Sailor Saturn, to understand what had occurred. Whatever the reason, Setsuna had to approach with caution. She didn't want to upset her but she had to know if Hotaru understood what had taken place.

Setsuna bent to the young girl's level, placing each hand on either shoulder. "Hotaru, please tell me, do you understand what we talked about last night. Who it was that had died and what had been done to us?"

Hotaru smiled secretively, "Setsuna, of course I know what happened. Haruka and I dreamed about our Princess, the Princess of the Star Kingdom, who died in battle as our kingdom was destroyed by forces from the Negaverse. We were sent from the kingdom by Princess Ceres to the Moon where we had our memories altered by Queen Serenity to make us forget who we were before and who Princess Ceres was." She cocked her head, "There was no question of that."

Setsuna shook her head, "And how do you feel about all of it? I confess; I was watching you all day. Michiru called me and said that Haruka was very upset over the whole ordeal so I was worried about you, too."

"I am fine. You can clearly see that." Hotaru beamed. "You don't have to worry about me at all, Setsuna, I'll be fine." She stepped out of Setsuna's arms. "But I am hungry. Let's get home!"

Setsuna sighed. It seemed like she was really okay with everything. If that was the case, then there was no more reason to worry over her.

"Alright, let's head home. I'm kinda hungry myself."

* * *

Usagi was still lost in thought as she trudged home. She was still in shock over the previous night's revelation. Her shock was beginning to turn into determination. Luna was going to spill everything she knew about the Star Kingdom. Usagi just knew that her cat knew more than she was telling! She was going to find out what it was! Her mind, still distracted, did not notice the handsome young man in front of her until they collided. Usagi didn't fall down but she did hit her head on something hard, perhaps a chin? She was rubbing the sore spot as she looked up only to realize she knew the young man.

"Seiya? I'm sorry, I didn't see you! Are you all right?" She cried suddenly. The pop idol was holding onto his chin, - ah so that's what she hit.

"Odango, you should look where you're walking." He said through his hand.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention." Seiya grumbled at that. "Are you going to be all right?" She asked.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be fine; I just hope it doesn't bruise." He joked. "I have a photo shoot that would be ruined if I turn up black-and-blue."

"Oh, better hope so, we wouldn't want your fans to see that?" She chided teasingly. Seiya raised a brow.

"Well, if it is, I'll tell the fans just who did it." He grinned. "I'd watch my back if I were you." Usagi blanched. She's dealt with love crazy Three Lights Fans before. They even challenged her to a softball game! Usagi hates sports! Seiya had to give her special training to help them win. It was the worst week of her life!

"Why were you so spaced out anyways?" Seiya asked.

Usagi shook her head. "It's nothing really. I was just thinking that I had to ask Luna some questions."

"Oh? What about?"

"Nothing too important. You may not understand. Rei had a dream about something last night and I think Luna has a better understanding of it than she lets on. That's all really." Usagi smiled, stepping around Seiya. "I'll see you tomorrow!" She called taking off.

Seiya waved at her back, calling "Bye!" He sighed as she turned the corner and out of sight. "Might as well go home, too." He mumbled to himself, turning homeward.

As soon as he got in the door, before he could escape to his room, Yaten appeared in front of him.

"Oi, where did you go?" Yaten asked, his green eyes glaring into Seiya's, almost accusingly. Seiya did have to give him the benefit of the doubt and not get angry at his tone. He had snuck off many times to see Usagi, despite his two brothers' protests. They didn't like the local Senshi and preferred not to get involved with them. It had changed a little as they got to know them better but Seiya knew better than to hope for more than that.

"Out for a walk." Seiya explained, deciding to sit on the couch instead of going all the way to his room since he had already been seen.

Yaten followed him and sat across the coffee table. "Yeah?" He said, frowning. "You went for a walk and saw her!" He accused.

Seiya blinked in disbelief, and was about to deny it when Yaten flashed his phone at him. The caller ID displayed Taiki's number. "Taiki called while out getting dinner." Yaten clarified, "He saw you coming from the direction of her house."

Seiya sighed; that explained why Yaten ambushed him at the door. He had been given a head's up. "Yes, I saw her. I didn't mean to bump into her, but I did and I found something out about last night."

Yaten was fuming. "How could you do this, Seiya!" He yelled. "We are not here to chase girls but to find our Princess! And what are you talking about, 'found something out'?" He asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Well, since we only came in at the end and even then, couldn't hear much; I now know what the meeting was about." Seiya explained. "Rei had a dream about what they had been discussing. Odango thinks that what Luna told them last night, what we over heard, was not everything she knew."

Yaten leaned back against the couch. "A dream? I guess Rei is more aware of her surrounding than any of them, but to have a meeting so early in the morning." Yaten shook his head in disbelief.

Seiya, wanting to steer the conversation away from the girls before Yaten remembered to yell at him again, asked what Taiki had gone to get for dinner.

Yaten jumped up at the question. "Ah! I forgot to tell him to get mine with no onions!" He cried, punching in Taiki's number on the phone still in his hand.

Seiya grabbed the TV remote while Yaten wondered into the kitchen now talking with Taiki on the phone. He flipped through the channels, not really paying any attention to what was on. He just needed a distraction from Yaten, something to deter him should he come back and ask anything more. Seiya's mind had wondered back to Usagi. Her face today was haunting his thoughts, a horribly sad face. She had looked the same all day. He thought the other girls would look the same too, if they were left to their thoughts. Ever since meeting the girls, Seiya had been the one to spend the most time getting to know them. They all seemed really bugged by the dream, or maybe the talk. Seiya wished he knew more about what had happened. He wanted to help Usagi with this in any way he could, but she wouldn't tell him anything so what more could he do but wait for her?

Lost in his thoughts, Seiya didn't notice that he had unintentionally stopped on the news channel until Yaten snatched the control out of his hand, turning the volume up.

The news anchors, a man and woman, were talking about one of their, the Three Lights', event that was coming up. "The Three Lights will have an album signing tomorrow at 5:30 at the downtown Atomic Music store to promote their latest album." The anchorwoman smiled overly cheery at the camera. "And now Masahiro will give us an update on the events taking place at Megalopolis Amusement Park for tomorrow night. Masahiro?" The camera moved to the male anchor.

"Thank you, Yuki." He smiled. A picture of a young girl appeared in the upper left corner of the TV screen next to Masahiro's head. "American pop star, Hoshiko, native of Japan, will be performing a homecoming concert at the Megalopolis Moonlight Stage at 7:00 pm. Tickets are already on sale and from some news reports, nearly sold out." He paused for dramatic effect. "This young star has taken the world by storm. She first began her singing career in an American contest and was soon discover by a record company only a year ago. Her first single, _Moon Revenge_ has hit number one on the music charts in the US and Europe. She moved to the US when her father was transferred to L.A. when she was only five years old." The picture in the corner zoomed to fill the screen and changed to a press conference of Hoshiko. "When asked about returning to her native home, Hoshiko had this to say." The clip played.

"I've been homesick ever since I left. I liked living in the US but it's great to be home." Hoshiko smiled. "I can't wait to start singing for the fans here!"

Seiya sat up straight. "This could present a problem, Yaten."

Yaten muted the T.V. "I agree. If we're not number one, then _she_ won't hear our message."

Seiya folded his arms, staring intently at the screen. He almost missed Yaten's quiet mummer of, "We have to do something."

* * *

Taiki sat patiently in a booth at the hamburger restaurant waiting for his order number to be called. His was in a "disguise" which consisted of sunglasses and a jacket, even though it shouldn't help at all. But somehow, that evening, it was working. No one had approached him for an autograph nor has he been mobbed by girls. In fact, the girls sitting in the booth behind him were talking about some other idol that was going to be in concert tomorrow. They didn't even notice him. While it bothered Taiki a little, he was happier not being bothered. He was simply sitting watching people coming and going. He occasionally like to "people watch." He liked to see how people acted when they thought no one was looking: watching a couple holding hands, or some business man pull out his phone for the fifth time, as though he had been expecting something to happen.

Taiki then saw a movement from the corner of his eye. He first thought it was a blonde man but upon further inspection he found someone he really didn't want to see at the moment. The person, she, moved to the counter to order without sparing a glance around the room. Taiki thought this was strange. He knew her to be more careful than that. She must be lost in her own thoughts, Taiki thought, sipping his drink.

Haruka, hungry after waking up from her nap, went into the kitchen only to find that Michiru had burned dinner. She volunteered to go get some burgers to eat instead. She finished ordering and went to fill her drink before sitting down in a booth to wait for her number to be called.

Taiki gasped when she sat down only one booth away from him and still didn't see him! She was even facing him! Okay, Taiki had to consider two things: one: she was completely lost in thought or two: his disguise was really, really good. He doubted it was the latter and dismissed it. He continued to openly stare at her, thinking it might get her attention. He didn't really know why he did it. Maybe it annoyed him that she was so careless. Maybe he just wanted to see how long it would take her to notice. Most likely he just wanted to annoy her when she did notice him, and she would.

Turns out, it didn't take too long. Taiki's phone in his breast pocket went off then. Haruka heard it and snapped out of her ravine. She looked straight ahead to where the noise was coming from. Taiki fidgeted at being noticed and tried to find his phone. "Hello. Too late, Yaten, I already ordered. Well, you'll just have to take them out. Yeah? He is? Really? Okay, we'll talk when I get back. Yeah, okay, bye."

"What is your problem?" Taiki looked up to find Haruka standing over him. She gave him a hard glare. Taiki, not wanting to be intimidated, stood as well; he knew it would annoy her if she had to look up to anyone, even if he was barely a couple of inches taller. "What do you mean, 'my problem'?" He asked, smirking.

Haruka scoffed, "Your staring problem." She said, getting angry at having to explain herself.

Taiki simply frowned. "I was wondering what the matter with you was because you didn't notice my presence 'til my cell went off. It's not like you to be so spaced. It's also not safe with enemies around."

Haruka's eyes narrowed. "I know. Better than you think." She said. "I was only thinking."

"Day dreaming." Taiki corrected. "Thinking wouldn't glaze your eyes."

Haruka was about to retort when Taiki's number was called. "See ya." He said, gathering his food and leaving.

Haruka flopped back in her seat, fuming. _Daydreaming!_ She thought. The fool had no idea. He didn't know anything about how she was feeling to judge her. Nothing at all! She thought, staring at her drink as her mind wondered back to her earlier thoughts.

Taiki stood outside the restaurant still looking at Haruka. "Yaten said that Seiya found out something new. I wonder if it has to do with her."

* * *

At home, Usagi was having no luck with Luna. She refused to say anything more on the subject. Not even Usagi's pouty face or whiney tears could persuade her. Luna just said, "Knowing even more will not help how you feel. The kingdom was destroyed. There is nothing you can do for them now."

And with that, Luna left. Usagi slumped on her bed, hugging a pillow. "'Knowing more won't help' bah!" She curled up even more. "I just wanted to know more about what she was like." She whispered. It just wasn't fair. Luna had all this knowledge and was being stingy with it. Usagi turned to stare out her window. The moon wasn't in the sky, maybe it was a New Moon, regardless, for once it wasn't what Usagi wanted to look at. The stars in the sky suddenly took on a whole new meaning. The Star Kingdom, the Star Princess, all of them surrounded the stars. "They sure are bright tonight." Usagi whispered.

"Chibi Chibi." Usagi turned sharply, knocking against the window.

"Oh, Chibi Chibi, it's you! You scared me." She said. On the floor by her bed was a young girl with brilliant red hair pulled in two pig tails with heart shaped buns. She was already in her pajamas. Chibi Chibi looked around three maybe, or younger. She was Usagi's "sister". She kinda found Usagi, followed her mom and brainwashed her family into thinking that she was their daughter/sister. Usagi wasn't fooled but it still begged the question: who was she? The senshi really didn't know. The last time a little girl appeared out of no where, it turned out she was Usagi's Mamoru's future daughter. Setsuna, the Keeper of Time, said that there was no way Chibi Chibi was their second child as they had previously thought. But since the child seemed harmless, they let her alone, waiting to see what would happen.

"Chibi Chibi."

Usagi looked down at her sister. "Did you have a bad dream?"

"Chibi." She shook her head.

"You can't sleep?"

"Chibi!" She said, nodding vigorously.

"Okay, you can sleep with me!" She said, pulling her up into the bed with her and tucking her under the covers. "Goodnight, Chibi Chibi." She whispered, watching as the young girl curled up and fell asleep.

Outside in the hall, Luna watched the girls crawl into bed. She headed down stairs to the phone counter. With the family asleep now, it was the perfect time to make a quick phone call. She nudged the phone off the hook and pawed in a number. After a few rings a voice whispered a hello.

"Artemis?" Luna whispered.

"Yeah, Luna, is it you? What's up?" He asked a little louder than a whisper. He must be in Minako's bedroom, Luna thought.

"It's nothing really, it just that Usagi was asking about her again. She was asking about Ceres." Luna said, sitting back on her hunches.

"Did you tell her anything?"

"Of course I didn't but, I'm not sure that it's the right thing to do at the moment. I mean, we don't even know if anything will happen with these dreams. They may just end up recovering their memories no matter what we do. I'm not sure that we should hide it." Luna confessed. It was just a feeling, but she truly believed that the senshi, all of them, would recover their memories soon.

"Luna, you know that it is physically impossible for that to happen. The person who has their memories is dead, that we know for sure. They can't ever get them back, at least not all of them." Artemis reminded.

Luna nodded solemnly. "I know, I know. . ."

* * *

Usagi woke up the next morning feeling pretty well rested. It was something about how she slept that night. There's something about Chibi Chibi that could sometimes calm her. It was part of her mystery, Usagi concluded. She shook her head; none of that mattered. Now was a time for school, studies. Usagi almost laughed, yeah, right, studies, more like a snack. She paused in her morning walk to school to inspect her lunch bent to determine if she had enough for a snack _and_ lunch in there.

"Uuusagiiii!"

Usagi turned at the sound of the voice. It was Minako calling her. She was walking with Makoto and Ami as well. Usagi smiled.

"Good morning!"

Minako ran up to her, linking arms. "I have the best news ever!" She yelled, squealing. Usagi just blinked while behind them Ami and Makoto exchanged weary looks. "There's a concert tonight at Megalopolis! The best idol in the whole world is going to be performing! I'm sooo excited!"

Usagi's confusion didn't lift. "Um, who?"

Ami was shaking her head and Makoto took a few steps back.

"Hoshiko!" Minako shouted, jumping in front of Usagi, brandishing a poster of said pop idol.

"She's beautiful!" Usagi cooed. Hoshiko was standing on a stage with a microphone in hand. She had long black hair pulled into two pigtails, braided to her shoulder then flowing freely. Her green eyes were staring straight at the camera. She was wearing a black skirt with a slit up both sides with black spiked heeled boots and a white top.

Minako smiled smugly. "Yup, she's the coolest ever! And, I have tickets for her concert tonight for all of us!"

"WHAT?!" Usagi cried! "But how?"

Minako's smile widened into a grin. "I'm the number two in the fan club! They gave a total of six tickets to the first ten in the fan club!"

"That's great!" Usagi said as they approached the school gate. "What time does it start?"

"7:00. So we have time to go home to change, eat and then get there early!" Minako explained. "I already called Rei last night. I just don't know who to give the last ticket to." She pouted staring at the suddenly present tickets in her hand.

Makoto smiled wearily. "Why not see if someone in class wants it?"

"That's a great idea! Ami, do you know anyone?" Minako turned around only to find that Ami had disappeared. "Ami?"

"You girls had better hurry. You'll be late." Ami called from the front doors of the school, waving at them.

Minako's mouth hung open. "How did she get there so fast?" Suddenly the school bells began ringing. The three remaining girls began panicking and raced to class.

"I'm late again!" Usagi wailed, taking the stairs two at a time.

* * *

The Three Lights were being lazy. They slept in late and just lounged around the house for the afternoon. They just didn't feel like doing anything, not even going to school. But it wouldn't last too long. There was an autograph signing later that afternoon; another night out with screaming fans, and chases, and everything else that comes with being an idol.

Taiki was leaning on the kitchen table, reading the paper. The other two were in the living room playing video games. Yaten's yelling could probably be heard a block away.

"No! No! The right! The right! Yeah! Seiya, you're dead!" Yaten screamed, standing in front of the couch Seiya was sitting on. Seiya just shook his head. "No! Yeah! AH!" Yaten cried when he got a punch into Seiya's character. Then Taiki jumped about a foot in the air when Yaten suddenly screamed violently, throwing his control on the floor.

"Not again! Seiya, how did you get so good at this?" He asked, flopping on the couch. Seiya grinned, putting his controller on the coffee table.

"I'm just better than you."

Yaten stuck his tongue out at him. He flipped the TV off and grabbed the other remote and turned the radio on. Instantly they heard their song, _Search for your Love._

Yaten smiled and leaned back. Taiki entered the room, glancing at the radio while Seiya just leaned his head back to stare at the ceiling. The song ended and the DJ came on. "That was the Three Lights' hit, _Search for Your Love_, coming in at number two! Yes, for the last few months they have held the number one position but they have been debunked this week." This announcement got their attention. Taiki walked over to turn it up.

"Don't tell me. . . " Yaten murmured.

"The new number one song in Japan is. . . . . . _Moon Revenge_ by Hoshiko!" The DJ declared as the new song began to play.

Taiki gasped, turning the radio off. Yaten stood abruptly walking into the kitchen. Seiya's head snapped up.

"It can't be!" He said, dumbfounded. "If we're not the best, then she can't hear us."

Taiki agreed. "It's a problem we'll have to remedy."

Yaten came back into the room with a glass of water. He gulped his drink. "We need to either top her or get rid of her." Taiki shook his head.

"We're not getting rid of anyone. That isn't possible here. And besides, we should simply rise above her." He said.

"No! We can't spend the time to do that! We should just make her leave Japan!" Yaten argued, growing red in the face. "We can tell her to go back to the US. We have to find our Princess before the battle between Sailor Moon and Galaxia gets too heated. We don't want her in the cross fire."

"That may be true, Yaten, but we can't do as we like here. This isn't our planet. We have to be respectful to the inhabitants here." Seiya said calmly. "Otherwise we'll have those three on our case again." Not more than a few weeks ago, the three outer Senshi, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, had threatened them to stay away from Usagi and the others and to leave the planet. They still remained, figuring that as long as they didn't stir up too much trouble, they could continue their search.

Just then the phone rang. Yaten yanked it off its base and yelled into the receiver. "What?!" When the voice on the other end spoke, Yaten calmed down. "Oh, Manager. No, we heard. Yeah . . . No, we were just discussing it. Yeah, I understand. Okay, thank you. Bye." He hung up.

"What did he say?" Taiki asked.

"Manager said that if we want to be heard, it's best that we are louder than her, than Hoshiko. We have to release a new single, or find a way to get more publicity." Yaten explained. "We should go see her concert tonight and see what we're up against."

"Yeah, I think that might be a good idea." Taiki agreed.

* * *

The final school bell rang, releasing the girls from class. Minako was practically bouncing in her seat.

"I can't wait!" She squealed. "I finally get to see my idol LIVE!!!"

Makoto waved her hand. "Calm down, Minako. It's not such a big deal. I mean we go to school with idols too."

Minako smiled embarrassedly. "That is true, huh?"

Ami grinned. "Okay, well, we should head out if we're going to make it to Crown's on time."

Usagi nodded. "I'll give Rei a call when I get home!" She cried, racing out the door with a grin on her face.

The three left behind sighed. "This is a good idea, Minako." Makoto said. "It'll do good to keep her mind off of the other night."

Minako flushed. Well, it was partly true that Minako knew that it would help Usagi with her depressed mood, but it was also true that she was a big fan of Hoshiko. Ever since they discovered the Three Lights were the Starlights, she'd had very little to obsess over. So, in a way, it was good for her too. But she would never admit that to the girls.

Ami and Minako gathered their things after Makoto left. They lived in the same direction, so they were going to walk together. Minako was gabbing on and on about every fact she knew about Hoshiko and her rise to fame, and how popular she was and other random trivia. Ami had tuned her out long ago. She was more concerned with Usagi's mood swings. It seemed like anything that came along would send her into a spiraling depression that Ami only knew to happen once or twice but now it seemed to happen every week. Ami couldn't blame her, but she doubted it would be so bad if Mamoru was here. He could help her better than the girls. He just understood her better; after all, they were in love. _Surly they were talking though_, Ami thought. She had to have called him or written him at least. Maybe it was easier for her to sink into her funks because she hadn't heard from him in a week. Usagi tended to be simple minded like that.

Minako had stopped talking. Ami politely nodded but still couldn't convince her that she had been listening. "Ami! Were you even listening to me?!"

The short haired girl shook her head. "I'm sorry, I was thinking. . . . about Usagi."

"Yeah, I'm worried for her too but she'll be better in no time. Did you see her face light up at the idea of the concert?!" Minako smiled. "I think she'll be okay."

Ami smiled at her positive attitude. There was a reason why she was the leader of the Senshi in the absence of Sailor Moon; she could always find the silver lining of their dark cloud. "I think you may be right."

* * *

Hotaru was sitting outside on the deck behind her house. She was softly humming to the song she was listening to on her headphones. She must have had the music up too loud because she didn't hear Michiru sneak up behind her. As a result, she jumped about a foot in the air when the teal haired musician hugged her shoulders.

Hotaru yanked off her headphones. "Michiru! You scared me!"

"I figured. You'll go deaf if you keep the volume turned up that loud." She smiled kindly. "Who are you listening to?"

"A new song, it's called _Moon Revenge_. It's by Hoshiko!"

"Oh, the new idol in town?"

Hotaru frowned. "She has a concert tonight but I don't have tickets to it. And I wanna go so bad!"

"Well, maybe another time? Let us know earlier and we'll take you." Michiru promised.

"Why wait?"

The girls turned around to see Setsuna and Haruka standing in the doorway. Haruka grinned. "I saw the new CD case on the table. So, I investigated it for you and Setsuna hooked us up." Setsuna brought her hands from behind her back. She held four tickets.

Hotaru jumped up. "Are those tickets to Hoshiko's concert tonight?!" The other two's grins broadened. Hotaru squealed. Michiru laughed.

"I think you've just made her night." She tried to say above Hotaru's "Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you."

"Go get ready; we've only got an hour to get there!" Setsuna shooed her inside. Hotaru sprinted into the house and up the stairs, when she peeked back over and shouted once more "Thank you!"


	4. Chapter 3: Concert Visions

**Ok, here it is, got it out faster than the last time, right? Sorry it's taken so long, but this time my editor has had it for a few months and hadn't looked at it and now I finally got it back so I looked it over, approved it and now posted it!!!**

**So, here it is the concert and the new rival. My character has only a brief interaction with everyone but the next chapter she'll be all over the place, so please reserve judgment till then ^^;**

**Music used in this piece is "She's got the Power" English lyrics from Sailor Moon R, "Soldier of Love" English lyrics sung in the TV series from Sailor Moon S, and of course "Moon Revenge" Japanese lyrics cause I like them! **

**Please remember to Review!!!! It's very key!!!!**

**Chapter Three**

**Concert Visions**

"**This is going to be exciting!" Rei exclaimed. The five girls, Rei, Usagi, Minako, Ami and Makoto, had just met at the Megalopolis entrance. They were headed for the outdoor concert hall. **

"**I can't wait to see her live!" Minako squealed. "Not to mention it's her homecoming concert! The first in Japan! And we get to see it!"**

"**It says in Teen Magazine, that she was born here and was raised between the US and Japan. Her father transfers every few years, and the family just travels together." Ami said; holding up an issue of Teen Magazine with a picture of Hoshiko on the cover. Everyone just looked at Ami in amusement.**

**Makoto nudged her. "You did your homework, huh, Ami?"**

"**Well, I too, wanted to know more about her." She said, blushing. The girls just laughed.**

**Usagi sighed. "This'll be a great concert. It's been a while since I've been to a concert." A grin spread over her face. "I'm excited too!" Minako cheered and grabbed Usagi's hand.**

"**Then let's hurry and not be late!" She yelled, rushing forward, dragging Usagi behind her. The others hurried after them. "This will be so much fun! O, maybe she'll have someone from the audience come on stage and sing with her! I'm so excited."**

**Usagi laughed. "You'd be the best choice, Minako!"**

**Minako looked back, "You think? Oof!" Minako, not looking where she was going, ran straight into someone, knocking both her and Usagi down. The person she hit was obviously fine, since they weren't lying next to them on the ground. The other girls caught up just as Minako began apologizing continuously.**

"**It's alright. I'm used to that with you guys." Minako looked up to find she had bumped into Haruka. The young woman was smiling waving her hand. She bent to help the two girls to their feet. "Are you two going to be all right?"**

**Minako laughed. "Yeah, we're fine! Sorry about that!"**

"**So, what are you guys doing here?" Haruka asked.**

"**We came for the concert." Ami answered before Minako could squeal her answer. She pointed to the large poster of Hoshiko hanging above the entrance to the concert hall. Haruka turned to look at it.**

"**How funny!" She commented. "That's why we're here."**

"**We?"**

"**Yes we…" The girls turned to look behind Haruka and found Hotaru. **

"**She had to use the bathroom, so I walked her out here. Don't want a little cutie like her wandering around here alone." Haruka explained, patting Hotaru's head. "Michiru and Setsuna are inside."**

"**So, we're all here together!" Usagi said. "This will be so much fun!"**

**Makoto checked her watch. "Hey, guys? We'd better hurry inside."**

"**Oh, right!"**

**The girls went inside the hall and found the other two in the crowd. They were about center stage, pretty much in the middle of the crowd. Usagi looked around. The last time she had been here, it was to see the Three Lights perform. It had been right after they had found out that they were the Starlights, sailor senshi like them. Seiya had asked Usagi to come listen to his song. She got there too late and couldn't buy a ticket but was able to see the performance and hear it from the gigantic Ferris wheel right in front of it. It was during that time that Usagi had learned of the Starlights' past; about how their home planet had been destroyed by Galaxia and how their princess had escaped and fled to Earth. That's why the three of them were there, to find their missing princess.**

"**Wow, you guys are here too!" Michiru said, as the group found her and Setsuna. "How did you get tickets?"**

**Minako gave a V sign. "I'm number two in the fan club and got free tickets!"**

**Michiru chuckled. "How fun."**

"**Hotaru's a big fan too." Setsuna said, looking at the young girl. Hotaru puffed up.**

"**No, I'm her biggest fan!" She declared. Minako glared at her.**

"**Oh, yeah, well are you in her fan club?"**

**Hotaru look down, "No, you have to be fifteen to join. I'm too young. But, I own her first CD that she mad in America and her new release! And I have posters of her in my room! I'm her biggest fan!"**

**Before Minako could retort, Rei cut her off. "Don't argue with her."**

**Minako sulked, murmuring to herself. "I'm her biggest fan."**

"**It's okay." Usagi consoled. Just then, the crowd behind the girls moved rapidly, causing someone to knock into Minako and Usagi; for the second time that day, the two girls hit the ground. **

"**Oh sorry. Huh? Odango?" The girls turned around to find the Three Lights. They were dressed in their suits, Seiya wearing red, Taiki in yellow and Yaten in light blue, almost grey. **

"**Seiya?"**

"**Yaten?"**

"**Taiki?"**

**Taiki and Yaten spotted the girls and were about to pull Seiya way from Usagi when they had an idea. They had come to spy on Hoshiko's performance and what better place to hide three guys in a crowd of girls but in a group of girls with one manly dressed woman. Since they were friends, in a loose sense, they would blend in better. No one would notice them.**

"**Yo!" Yaten saluted. "What are you guys doing here?"**

"**Us? We're here for the concert but what are you three doing here?!" Minako responded, shocked. Her intelligence network had informed her that the Three Lights would be at an album signing of sorts for a few hours. She didn't think they'd be anywhere else tonight. She didn't say this aloud because then she would look like a stalker, and while she no longer found them quite as attractive as before, she still valued Yaten's opinion of her.**

"**We're here to see our rival perform, of course." Seiya informed them, winking. "She's really taking over everywhere. We had to see what the fuss was about."**

**Haruka glared at them. "Is that why?" She had never trusted the three of them, and she certainly did not want Usagi around them at all. She placed an arm over Usagi's shoulders and moved her away from Seiya, who frowned.**

"**We just wanted to see her sing." Taiki said, walking up beside Ami. "She's really very popular." **

"**She really is!" Ami agreed, being friendly. "I've heard that her debut single, _Moon Revenge_ is the number one song in Japan right now."**

"**Yeah, which is why they're _really_ here." Michiru laughed. "They're concerned that they're being replaced." Haruka grinned. Yaten became defensive.**

"**We'll blow her out of the water as soon as we know what we're up against!"**

**Seiya ignored the quibbling and took a closer look at the stage. It was very different from when they had been there. The big screen was still in place but there was a platform right under in with a staircase. There was also a long runway into the crowd. While Seiya was inspecting the stage, Haruka moved back to whisper to him.**

"**I don't know what reason you have for being here, but don't stick around the little kittens." She threatened him. He glared and was going to retort when Hotaru spoke up.**

"**Shush! It's starting!" She cried. Everyone fell silent immediately. **

**Quite suddenly sparks flew up around the stage and in that instant, someone appeared on stage, dead center.**

**The girl on stage had a hand in the air and another one shielding her face, with a microphone in that hand. Her long ebony hair was pulled into two pigtails low on her head. Her pigtails were braided to her shoulder then tied to flow freely all the way to her knees. She wore a long black skirt with slits up both sides to just above her knees. Her red top glittered in the light. Its long sleeves were sheer and the bodice solid with a sweetheart bust. An upbeat tempo began and she brought her microphone to her face and began to dance about the stage singing a very bubbly love song. **

**Hotaru and Minako instantly started screaming as loud as they could. Usagi, Rei, and Makoto were dancing in their spot. The music was very cheerful and Hoshiko was dancing around the stage, sending her energy into the crowd. Soon the audience started to dance or scream with excitement. The Three Lights were watching her very closely. Analyzing everything she did. She had a great voice, they had to concede. She was smiling brightly and singing her heart out. The sound of it bouncing of the acoustics was intoxicating. It felt as though she was singing straight to them, the audience, bringing them into her life, into her lime light. And her stage presence was phenomenal. She was all over it, without breaking tempo or a sweat for that matter. They were stunned.**

**Michiru and the other two were simply enjoying the music. It was very up lifting and cheerful. Michiru was quietly humming to it, her musical nature shining. **

**As the music slowed to a stop, Hoshiko was back at center stage. The projection screen behind her lit up; showing her big grin and bright gold eyes.**

"**How are you guys doing tonight?!" She screamed. Her answer was a very loud roar from the audience. "It's great to be back in Japan! I've been away now for two years, but it's great to be home!" She smiled. "But while I've been away, there have been some interesting occurrences. A dear friend of mine has been telling me all about it! And as I've been home for a couple of weeks now, I can see she did not stretch the truth." The crowd was still screaming, completely unconcerned with what she was saying. The girls were a different matter.**

"**Couple of years ago, Usagi, wasn't that when Luna showed up?" Ami asked. Usagi nodded. **

"**It's been around three years since we became senshi." She then gasped, "You don't think she's talking about us?"**

"**I'd like to bring out my dear friend for an introduction. Anzu, come out here!" Hoshiko motioned to her left. A young girl around the same age as the girls came out. Her short red hair and never changing blue bow was so very familiar to them.**

"**It's Anzu! From junior high!" Makoto cried, pointing. The girls all gasped except for Minako who was glaring.**

"**I can't believe she never told me she knew Hoshiko!"**

"**Anzu first emailed me three years ago about these strange super heroes here in this city; female warriors of love and justice." The girls became very red at this moment. "Anzu has even had personal encounters with them. I, too, have seen them!" Hoshiko smiled. "They've been fighting an enemy that we've known nothing about for years. They are our protectors and after seeing them in action, I've been inspired! I even wrote two songs in their honor and I'd like to sing them now, for you." She stared into the audience. "Would you like to hear them?" She teased. The crowd went crazy, they began chanting, "Sailor Senshi, Sailor Senshi!" Hoshiko grinned. "Alright, here goes, Sailor Senshi! This one is for you, Sailor Moon!" She screamed, throwing her hand up. A picture of eternal Sailor Moon appeared on the screen. Anzu sneaked off stage. "Anzu had been near one battle between the Sailor Senshi and their enemy! She managed to catch it on film and I wrote a song to accompany it!" The Senshi in the crowd fidgeted. They hoped that Anzu hadn't filmed something about their identities. Haruka and two outer senshi tensed, ready to stop the show if something like that occurred. **

**Hoshiko winked, "I hope ya like it!" She took her pose, center stage and waited for the music. Unlike the upbeat tempo, this song began with an electric guitar. Hoshiko screamed into her microphone. "Yeah!"**

**The screen behind Hoshiko lit up with a clip of a construction site. Sailor Moon was blocking a young pink haired girl from a menacing floating man with red hair and a black upside down crescent moon mark on his forehead.**

**The senshi gasped when they recognized it!**

"**The Dark Moon! It's when the Wicked Sisters attack Chibi Usa!" Usagi exclaimed. The Three Lights glanced at them, about to ask when Ami cut them off.**

"**Just watch."**

**Their attention returned to the stage, to the screen.**

**The man on the screen, Rubeus, formed an attack in his hands, firing it at Sailor Moon. Hoshiko began her song. _A crash of thunder. A brilliant flash of light. The battle has begun and only one will win the fight. _Sailor Moon had barely dodged the attack, losing her balance, she knocked into a wall. Disoriented, she tried to stand and place the girl behind her. The other four senshi were nearby, fighting opponents of their own and were unable to assist their leader. _Danger in the air, destroying everything in sight. The time has come to right the wrong, the Prism Power might! She's got the power! Oh! She's got the power! She's got the Power! Yeah! She's got the power!_**

**The man said something and Sailor Moon finally managed to get to her knees. _A despite struggle, the strongest takes it all! The battle wages on until the weakest finally falls. A vision fills her heart and gives her strength that's pure and true. _A single red rose is shot between Rubeus and Sailor Moon. A man in a tuxedo standing on a crane dodges the attack that Rubeus throws at him. The tuxedo man lands by Sailor Moon and the little girl. Rubeus attacks again and this time the tuxedo man throws more roses at him, blocking his attack, causing a blinding explosion. _And when it seems that all is lost, she knows what she must do! She's got the power! Oh! She's got the power! She's got the Power! Yeah! She's got the power! _Hoshiko continues this chant while Sailor Moon on the screen pulls out her scepter, a long pink wand with a crown on the top, and begins to draw energy around her to the scepter. She unleashes her attack on Rubeus, who barely dodges higher into the air. The attack did enough damage to him that he needed to call off his attack as he and the four ladies vanished on the spot. The song slowed down, Hoshiko having never left center stage. The clip fades as the camera rights on Hoshiko.**

**The outer senshi had loosened; their identities still secret. The fight on the screen was one that they had not seen before. It was amusing watching the younger girls fight, knowing that they had learned much since then. The inner senshi involved in the clip were whispering excitedly to themselves as they recalled that battle and others like it. The crowd was cheering louder than ever!**

**The Three Lights were taken aback. The fight had been intense. Sailor Moon had taken shot after shot, been beaten protecting one little girl. It showed everyone what her true character really was: fierce, loyal and strong. It made them feel weak. They had fled with their Princess when Galaxia had invaded their planet. The girls looked a few years younger than they were now. They must have been fighting enemies, invaders, for several years now. They never gave up and ran away. Compared to them, the Starlights looked like cowards. But they did what they did for their Princess, their one Lady. They would never regret it. They would just have to work harder and become stronger.**

**Hoshiko had begun a new song, one soft and somber. Seiya, curious, leaned forward by Usagi to ask her a few questions. "Odango? Who were those people you were fighting?"**

**Usagi looked back at him. The others were listening in, the Outer Senshi and the Three Lights. "They were the first wave of fighters from the Dark Moon. It was around two years ago that they appeared. They were trying to destroy the future that they came from by destroying its past."**

**Seiya nodded in understanding. "That sounds intense."**

**Michiru giggled. "That was the first time you guys had met Chibi Usa, right?"**

**Usagi glared. "She was such a brat! Always getting in the way and getting into so much trouble! That fight happened because she ran away and tried to go back to the future too soon! If we hadn't found her she would have been killed!"**

**Seiya stood back from Usagi as she yelled. "Odango! Calm down." He muttered, trying to sooth her.**

**Pluto smiled gently, "She was quite a handful, even later as you were training her."**

**Usagi grunted. "Pain!"**

"**Training? Wait, the pink haired girl from the video?" Taiki asked.**

**Ami, who was listening in, answered. "Yes. Chibi Usa is a Sailor Senshi. Her mother sent her back to the past not too long after we defeated the Dark Moon to train with Sailor Moon. That was during our fight with the Dark Circus. They were looking for a dream mirror that would free their Dark Queen."**

"**She's a Sailor Senshi from the future?" Taiki repeated. "Amazing!"**

**Yaten snorted. "She must be related to you, Usagi! She looks just like you, clumsy!" He laughed at his own joke. Usagi blushed and murmured something.**

**Haruka laughed at this, rubbing Usagi's head teasingly she loudly asked, "What did you say, kitten? We couldn't hear you!" **

**Usagi's face reddened more. "She's my future daughter." She said only a little louder but loud enough for everyone to hear.**

**Yaten twitched in surprise. "Y-your daughter?!"**

**Seiya's eyes darkened, though he said nothing. Taiki only laughed remarking on how she really must have been a handful considering who her mother is. The others joined in his laughter at Usagi's expense. Usagi grumbled, saying it wasn't funny.**

**Hotaru was laughing loudly. "I really miss Chibi Usa!" She said, calming down. "She was my best friend."**

**Usagi patted Hotaru's back. "It's ok. You'll see her again."**

**Minako elbowed Usagi, grinning. "Is there something you and Mamoru aren't telling us?" She wiggled her eyebrows.**

**Usagi's face grew redder. "M-Minako! Don't say such things!" She cried, embarrassed. **

"**Mamoru? Is that the girl's dad?" Yaten asked, grinning right beside Minako. "Ohh. . . . . Usagi?" Usagi didn't respond, her face as red as a tomato. **

"**You saw him." Ami said. "He was the one in the tuxedo on the video. He's the prince of this planet."**

**Yaten looked over at her. "The one with the roses? That's him?"**

"**Tuxedo Mask." Ami stated matter-of-factly.**

"**My boyfriend." Usagi said finally. "He's studying overseas now, in America."**

"**Oh! I see." Yaten muttered. "Makes sense."**

**Seiya stood back from this conversation, not willing to take part. He had seen a picture of Usagi's boyfriend when he had gone to her house. The masked man in the video looked like him, for sure. He didn't like it. He had never heard Usagi talk about him a whole lot. But from what Usagi had told him, she hadn't heard from him since he left. Seiya had remarked that he was being unfaithful to her. He hadn't said it to hurt her, it was merely his first reaction. If Usagi had been his and he had to leave he would have written her everyday. He would never have let a day go by without hearing her voice. The face that Usagi had made and her words after were so very sad. She missed him. She missed him with her whole heart but she never once thought that he was being unfaithful to her. She never thought for a moment that Mamoru had forgotten her. That kind of faith in a person was something that Seiya had felt before, but only for his one Lady. It was what had kept him and his brothers going in their search, never wavering in their pursuit, always singing. He just couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong with Usagi and Mamoru. He couldn't leave her alone. Being around Usagi was what made staying on this planet, pretending to be something he was not, so bearable. He was falling for her, he knew that much. He had thought that maybe he had a chance, but hearing about her future, Usagi's daughter had been a blow. Seiya could not believe that Usagi's future was so well known. That everyone knew that someday she would marry and have a pink haired little girl who looked just like her. He just wouldn't believe it.**

**Seiya shook his head, clearing his thoughts. It was not good to put too much effort into the unknown. The future was not written in stone, as they say. He would hold out and stay by Usagi's side. He smiled at her as the others teased her more.**

"**Neh, Odango, you should see your face!" He grinned, patting her head playfully. She swatted at his hand, glaring at him.**

"**Stop it! You guys are so cruel." She fussed. This only made everyone laugh harder. **

**Hoshiko's song ended and she took a quick water break. Coming back on stage, the crowd cheered loudly. Hoshiko took her place again at center stage. "This song is dedicated to all the Sailor Senshi out there! I hope you're listening somewhere! This is for protecting all of us!" She yelled into the microphone. All the Senshi's eyes were drawn to her. **

**Usagi giggled. "She doesn't know we're really here."**

**A techno beat started deep. Hoshiko eye's closed somberly. The beat lightened as she began to sing. _Oh the night is so dark and filled with fear. I'm all alone, can my love be nowhere near. All alone, is it just a frightful dream?_ Hoshiko began walking the runway, her eyes still closed. _But I know, we must destroy their evil scheme!_ Her eyes broke open and settled directly on Usagi. Usagi stood perfectly still, her smile slowly fading. Hoshiko had reached the end of the runway. _We are hardly pushed and crushed against the wall! But with our love, I know we will defeat them all! We must save the world; that is what we must do. . . . RIGHT NOOOW! _ A warm wave washed over Usagi, a burning feeling began in her heart and the stage with Hoshiko, the crowd, everyone started to fade away.**

**_Now I know what we must do! Before we tear our hearts in two! We must all fight for the love that we have, that is what we have to do! Now I know what we must do, before they tear my heart in two! _ No one noticed as Usagi's eyes dilated, unfocused. Hoshiko brought a single hand up, as though calling an army to battle. _Soldiers unite! Now the battle is underway! _**

**The music slowly faded out as Hoshiko brought her hand down, breaking eye contact with Usagi as she bowed and ran back up the runway.**

**At the same moment, Usagi gasped, having held her breath the whole time. She collapsed to her knees, tears streaming down her face. Gasping for breath, she held her chest, shaking.**

**Haruka was by her side in a flash. "Usagi? Usagi? What's wrong?" She asked, grasping the girl's shoulders.**

**The others crowded around, ignoring Hoshiko's singing as a new song started.**

**Seiya peered at Usagi from the side. "Odango? Are you alright?"**

**Usagi shook her head, not staring at anyone. She continued to shake murmuring to herself. "I saw it. I saw it."**

**Rei knelt beside her. "Saw what?" She asked, placing a calming hand on her shoulder. Rei suddenly felt warmed all over, a gentle, fierce wave. **

**Connected at that moment, Usagi's tear filled eyes caught Rei's burning ones. "The battle. The final battle. I saw it. I saw it all. I even. . . . saw. . . . " She choked, throwing herself at Rei. Rei caught the girl in her arms. Patting her heard Rei cooed at her, "It's all right. You're safe. Please tell us, what all you saw."**

"**I saw her die. I saw who killed her, I saw her death." Usagi wailed, sobbing harder than ever. "She really did die!"**

**Haruka gasped. Hotaru leaned over her, "You really saw her?!"**

**Usagi nodded slowly, regaining some control. Yaten looked over everyone surrounding Usagi, mouthing to Taiki. 'Star Princess?' Taiki nodded. That seemed to be who they were talking about; there couldn't be another person whose death had recently affected them. **

**Setsuna had moved Haruka and Rei out of the way. "Give her some space everyone." The others took a half step back. Setsuna lifted Usagi's chin, looking into her eyes she asked if she would describe what she saw. At this, Haruka, Hotaru and Rei all leaned in to hear her better. They were the only ones who had the dreams and could tell Usagi if that was what she had really seen.**

**Usagi took a deep breath. "I saw. . . a blinding light. There was a girl, she was dressed in a cream colored dress, like what you had said." Usagi said to Haruka. "She was badly injured. . . . blood was everywhere." Usagi's voiced choked with a hiccup. "She shouted. . . something, and released some kind of power from her hand, it was really bright! I saw Queen Beryl, but not the normal Beryl, the one with the Dark Queen in her; she blocked the light and fired at the girl. The ground broke around them, there was more light, from both of them but I couldn't, I couldn't see properly. When the light subsided, she was . . . . she w-was lying on the ground, not moving. Beryl stood up and, and just laughed. She killed her. Beryl killed her!!!" Usagi started crying harder than ever. Haruka moved over and took the girl in her arms, patting her head. Minako knelt beside her and hummed while rubbing her back.**

**Taiki said something to Ami in a low voice and motioned his brothers to follow him as they left the group. Seiya looked back at Usagi, before he was swallowed up by the crowd. She was hugging Haruka tightly, her shoulders shaking violently. He couldn't help her with this pain. It was only her friends, her family that could help. They knew her better than him, he grudgingly admitted, they would help her now. **

**Out of the crowd, the Three Lights stared at Hoshiko, hard. "Did you see her, during that song?" Taiki asked. Yaten only glared harder. He had seen. Hoshiko did not break eye contact with Usagi for the duration of the song.**

"**She was in shock. She saw the princess that they had been talking about die. It must be hard on her." Seiya said, glancing back at the crowd, but could not see Usagi anymore. Yaten smacked his bother over his head.**

"**Id-i-ot! Not Usagi! Her!" He yelled pointing at Hoshiko, still singing on stage.**

**Seiya rubbed his head. "What about her?"**

"**She was staring right at Usagi during the whole song! I don't think anyone else noticed." Yaten explained. "As soon as Hoshiko broke eye contact Usagi collapsed. She must have had the vision during the song."**

**Seiya stared at Hoshiko again. "Really?! I hadn't noticed! What do you think happened? Did she do something to Usagi?" Seiya looked away. **

"**She could be a new enemy." Taiki said. "She may not know anything about the vision and simply cast a spell on Usagi, to give her a vision of fear and the first thing that came to mind was the princess."**

**Yaten grinned. "Then we should go find out."**

**Seiya quirked a brow, "What are you thinking, Yaten? She could be dangerous. This isn't the first time Usagi has been targeted, they might know about all of us. If that's the case, we should be careful."**

**Yaten's grin only grew wider. "Exactly, they can't do anything that would give them away to such a large crowd. Let's go backstage!"**

**Seiya grinned, too, convinced by his brother's words. "Hmm, you're right. It could be fun!"**

* * *

**Usagi had finally calmed down, the initial shock wearing off. She told everyone she was fine as Rei and Haruka helped her to her feet. "Really, I'm fine now. We should enjoy the rest of the concert together." She said, looking around at everyone. "Huh? Where did the Three Lights go?" She asked when she noticed that Seiya and the others were not there.**

"**Taiki said that they had something to do." Ami said. "He wouldn't say what, but I think they also wanted to leave. . . " She stopped as Usagi's eyes dulled. She was going to say that they wanted to leave Usagi to them but that would have sounded heartless. Even though they probably understand the feelings, they didn't know the whole story behind it. It would be better just to leave them to their grief but somehow, saying the words out loud made it more real that she would have liked.**

**Minako patted Usagi on the back. "Don't worry! We'll see them at school tomorrow!! Let's just enjoy the concert!" Usagi cheered up at this and joined in the crowd's cheering.**

**Michiru pulled Setsuna aside, murmuring in low voices, each giving Hoshiko a hard stare. They had seen what had happened. They would need to investigate Hoshiko. It was just too coincidental that Usagi's vision had happened at the same time that Hoshiko had been staring at her. Did Hoshiko know Usagi's real identity? They needed to find out more information. Hoshiko was looking out at the audience, announcing her next song. But Michiru noted that she did not look at them.**

"**I'm sure everyone is familiar with this next one!" She yelled. "Sailor Stars!!! This goes out to the last Sailor Senshi, the Starlights!!"**

**Yaten's head perked up as they continued to push through the crowd, headed back stage. "This should be good." Seiya grabbed Yaten's arm when **

"**We need to get close to her, not watch her perform." He lectured, dragging Yaten behind him.**

**They made their way to the back stage doors, convincing the bouncer that they were there for the performance, they were let in. Yaten giggled. "That was easier that it should have been." They were now standing just outside the stage, out of the audience's view but they could see Hoshiko perfectly as she sang and danced around the stage.**

**A sudden warm feeling overtook Seiya. His heart was very warm, it spread through him. It felt so very calming, soothing, like a mother gently rocking her baby to sleep. Seiya tried to contain the feeling in his heart, placing his hand over it. It felt so much like his princess, his one Lady that for a moment he was taken aback. It couldn't be. It had to be a different feeling, yes, it was. It was like his princess but also like Michiru's playing. During their concert together, Seiya felt this before. Like a star. The feeling faded as the song ended. **

"**Did you feel that?" Taiki asked. He and Yaten were looking at Seiya, all with identical quizzical faces. "It was so warm and gentle. What could it have been?"**

**Seiya shook his head. "I don't know, but. . . " He looked over at Hoshiko who was now waving at the crowd. "I don't think that she is an enemy. No, she's not dangerous."**

**Yaten nodded his agreement. "It was such a wonderful feeling. It had to have come from her. It felt so. . . free." Yaten smiled.**

**Taiki smiled too, and then as though remembering something, his smile faded. "It could be that she has one of those star seeds that the enemy is looking for. If that is the case, we may need to get close to her."**

**Seiya agreed. "She could be in danger. It might draw out Galaxia's agents. It could be a good chance for us to question them."**

**Hoshiko interrupted their conversation, announcing to the audience that there is one final song. "I bet you all know this song." She winked. The music started to swell, the crowd cheered; it was Hoshiko's hit song, _Moon Revenge._ **

**_Yatto tadorituita ai, nigirishime. Chiisna nemuri ni yasuragu hito! Tojita mabuta ni sayonara. Kuchizukete toki no hanozono ni anata okizari ni shita. _Hoshiko was slowly raising one of her arms, holding her microphone in the other, putting her all into her song. Before she could begin the next line though, a new voice began to sing. Everyone, including Hoshiko turned to find the Three Lights walking on stage, with microphones in their hands singing the next line in the song. **

**_Ai ha yume no mama dewa tudukanai. Musaboreba utukushii. _ They stopped by Hoshiko, Yaten on one side and Seiya and Taiki on the other. Hoshiko recovered from the intial shock and started to sing with them as though they had planned this. _Shikabane, soredemo!_ Each raising a hand in unison, singing in perfect harmony. _Nozomu no nara oikaiete kite, Ano kuchizuke ha akai tattoo. Sadame yokoku kizamu tattoo. _ They each brought the same hand down and turned in perfect timing, striking out a different hand towards the audience, after throwing their microphone into the other hand. _ Watari ni nara hitome de wakaru. Kuchibiru-gata ni itamu tattoo. Kakuse nai ha anata. _ They threw their hands straight up, _Its moon revenge, wooo._**

**Hoshiko took the momentary lapse in the lyrics to refocus the attention back to her. With a sly grin, she bent her legs and sprung into the air, flipping a few times before she landed perfectly on the very end of the runway. Straightening, she brought her microphone back to her lips and proceeded to sing the next verse solo. Beginning softly, _Yami ni, tojikomerarete mo hikareau aura kesenai, tajirogarai._**

**Before the Three Lights could react, Hoshiko turned and walked back down the runway, still singing. _Sukete meitera wakare de moenagara tugi no neguriai mo meat anata ga ii to._ She rejoined the Three Lights, winking at Seiya. He took it to mean to sing next, and so he did.**

** _Ai ha fukau naru hodo yokubari de toikisae shibaritai. _ Then the others joined. _Rifujin, Soredemo._ Taiki took the next line. _ Hikari no uzu, noboritumeteku akai kioku ha doku no tattoo, mirai no chaos shimesu tattoo. _They then sang in unison. _ Futari de nara kudake chiru made kuchibiru-gata ni itamu tattoo, daita mama, de ii ha._ They once again raised their hands to the sky. _Its moon revenge, wooo._**

**_ Nozomu no nara oikaete kite ano kuchizuke ha akai tattoo. Sadame no yokoku kizamu tattoo, watasi ni nara hitome de wakaru. _ The four of them twirled again and brought their other hand up. _ Kuchibiru-gata ni itau tattoo. Kakusenai ha anata. Its moon revenge, wooo._**

** The music faded out slowly as the crowd cheered louder. Hoshiko bowed the Three Lights bowing behind her. Hoshiko smiled big. "It's been great! Good night everybody!" Heavy curtains fell in front of them, blocking them from view. The curtains must have been another installation since the Three Lights performance there. Seiya turned to say something to Hoshiko only to find her already off stage and headed for her changing room. Seiya and the others took off after her.**

* * *

** Usagi and the other gasped as the Three Lights appeared on stage. Ami vaguely wondered if this is what Taiki had meant when he said they had to be somewhere. Haruka moved closer to Michiru.**

** "From the look on her face, I don't think this was planned." She whispered. Michiru shook her head in agreement. **

** "You're right, but why would they do it?" She wondered. She had Haruka gasped as Hoshiko landed from her flip. "How-how did she do that?!"**

** Makoto mused aloud. "Not from dancing. She knows a marital art but I've never seen it done from such a distance." Ami agreed.**

** "It's a practiced precise movement. She couldn't just do it on a whim. I bet she was going to do that from the beginning." She smiled. "It's not impossible to do."**

** Haruka only glared more as the curtain fell. _She isn't normal._**

** Usagi started looking around. "Um, should we wait for the Three Lights, or go home now?"**

** Minako was scanning the crowd too, as it dispersed. "Yeah! I wanna know if they planned that!"**

** Haruka only shook her head. "It's better to go home and get some rest." She said. "Besides, there is school tomorrow and _some _people are up past, waaay past, their bed time." She gave a sideways glance at Hotaru, who shrank back behind Setsuna.**

** The girls only laughed, agreeing. They left the stadium behind and headed home.**

* * *

The Three Lights could not believe that she forgot they were there! Or that she did remember and was snubbing them; if that was the case, Yaten was going to go off, Seiya could feel it. He was fuming, and huffing nearly treading on his brother's shoes. After asking for directions, they found her dressing room and loudly rapped on the door. "Hello?" Seiya called.

A muffled voice called from within giving them permission to enter. Opening the door, they expected to find Hoshiko sitting in front of a brightly lit vanity, brushing her hair or admiring her reflection. They didn't. Instead they found a room full of flowers sent by Hoshiko's admirers. Bouquets of roses, lilies, daisies, and other such flora arrangements were scattered everywhere, filling the room with their aroma. The vanity along one wall was vacant, and so were the chairs and couch across the room. The Three lights could not find their rival in the bouquet forest. Frustrated, Yaten called out for her again. "Hello? Hoshiko?"

"In here!" Came the reply from the bathroom in the corner. Hesitating, Seiya walked over and stuck his head in, only to find Hoshiko with her head under the shower, letting the water wash over her head and shoulders. She pulled herself out and toweled her hair down. "Hi!" She grinned. Seiya stepped back to allow her to move back into her dressing room where she promptly propped herself on the arm rest of a chair. "Sorry. I didn't mean to leave you back there but I had to change and cool off." She smiled pointed at her wet head and new clothes. In the few minutes that they were apart, Hoshiko had managed to change from her stage clothes into a regular pair of sweats and a green tank top.

Taiki waved it off. "It's not a problem. We just wanted to apologize for interrupting your concert." Yaten and Seiya nodded their accord. "We're really not too sure what came over us but we just couldn't help it." That was about as close to the actual truth without telling Hoshiko that they had stalked backstage to ambush her thinking that she was an enemy. But after hearing her sing, they were no longer sure. It was when she announced her last song that they found microphones and just walked out on stage, as though it was rehearsed from the beginning. The three of them just couldn't help it. It was like Hoshiko had drawn them out on stage; that they _wanted_ to sing with her and were going to miss their chance to do so if they didn't take that opportunity. They were also faintly surprised that they knew the lyrics and harmony even. They hadn't really been paying attention to her songs when they played on the radio and were very astonished that the melody just flowed out of their mouths so naturally.

Hoshiko motioned for them to sit. Taiki and Seiya took the couch by Hoshiko and Yaten straddled the back of the vanity chair. "Why did you come to my concert? I must admit that I was very surprised to see you here, regardless of you coming on stage." She laughed.

Yaten laughed with her. "Sorry, again, about that, but we came here to see our rival." Hoshiko gave him an odd look, as though she expected to hear a punch line to a joke. "Come on!" Yaten howled. "In the short time you've been here, your first single went straight to the number one spot on Japanese charts! It's really very amazing! So of course you're our rival now!"

"Not to mention you were an unknown here until these last couple of weeks." Seiya mentioned. "Its no wonder we, the greatest act in Japan, would show up on your doorstep to see what all the fuss was about." He smiled. "It's good to know that you are worth it."

Hoshiko blushed at that. "Rival? Me? That really is something else."

Taiki grinned. "We came to your concert to meet you, Hoshiko."

"Hikari."

"What?" Taiki blinked.

"Hikari." Hoshiko beamed. "My name is Hikari Aso. Hoshiko is a stage name."

Seiya tested the name out. "Hikari. That sounds beautiful. I'm Seiya Kou."

"Yaten Kou." Yaten saluted.

"Taiki Kou." Taiki said standing and shaking Hikari's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise!" Hikari said.

Taiki settled back on the couch, draping an arm along the back. "So, where did you get the name Hoshiko from?" He asked out of curiosity.

Hikari settled in the chair she had been leaning one. "Hoshi means star. When I was little, I was a night owl. My parents could not get me to sleep at night sometimes. I would even stay up all night and not need to sleep till the next night. It was a little strange but I just loved looking at the stars and the moon every time I get the chance. It's just a fascination with me." She rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. "Even now, there are nights that I find myself gazing at the stars for hours without realizing it. It seemed perfect that my stage name, my 'star' name should be _Star_."

Seiya gazed at her. "That does make sense, Hoshiko and star, and your real name means light. It all coincides with each other."

"Yup! I like it. Easy to remember, too!" She giggled, her voice ringing like soft bells. "Now tell me this, why are you called the Three Lights?" The Three Lights groped to find an answer. It hadn't ever been asked since most people just didn't question stage name but of course if you ask a question like that most would reciprocate it at you.

"Well . . . " Seiya dumbly began with no further thought than that.

"You see . . . " Yaten tried to follow and finish Seiya's thought but was having no better luck.

"It sounded appropriate for a group of three who wanted to work hard and become famous stars." Taiki rattled off. "Real stars, like yours, give off light in the night sky. When we would have become famous stars, we had hoped that our music would give light to others. Thus the Three Lights were formed." He concluded. Seiya and Yaten recovered from their momentary brain lapse and pretend to know that all along.

Hikari clapped her hand together. "That is brilliant! I would never have come up with that! And it has such meaning, too!" She seemed so genuinely astonished that the Lights breathed a sigh of relief that she believed them. "I mean, given what you said, I might have thought of the Three Stars, or the Stars, or just Lights or even the Three Shining Stars, or maybe the Starlights!" She continued cheerfully oblivious to the flinch the three of them made at the mention of their alter egos.

Suddenly there was a light knock on the door. Hikari responded and a man poked his head in. "Sorry to interrupt, you have a call on line four." He said, motioning to the phone beside the vanity. "She said her name was Neb."

Hikari thanked him as she went to pick up the line. She turned back to the Three Lights. "Um, would you excuse me a minute?" She smiled graciously. They nodded and filed out to wait for her in the hall.

* * *

Outside the dressing room door, the Three Lights stood waiting for Hikari. Seiya leaned against the wall, deep in thought about the performer. She wasn't what he had been expecting. She seemed very genuine. She only wanted to sing. Hikari didn't strike Seiya as the type to be an Idol for fame or money. When she sang, she really gave her all to her fans, and let them see the real her. She didn't put up a facade or sing about useless things. She was the real deal. "So unlike us." He murmured to himself.

"Seiya?" Taiki looked over at him. "What is it?"

Seiya's head shot up. "Oh, sorry. Lost in thought." He trailed off. "I was just thinking about how much Hikari gave to her fans. How much of herself she puts in her music and expects nothing back. That's how it felt to me, when I heard her sing while we were back stage. I didn't feel as though I _needed_ to cheer to give her encouragement or anything like that. She was just singing to sing. It was such a wonderful feeling."

"Yeah, that's what I thought, too." Yaten agreed. "She's very pure. She shines. She shines more than we do." He added almost as an afterthought, his eyes downcast.

Taiki glanced between them. "Her music is special, but I think it was only coincidence that Usagi had that vision while Hoshiko was staring at her. It might have been Usagi's strange hair that caught her attention." Yaten laughed. "I didn't feel any sort of aura around her in there that would indicate she had any special powers."

"But what about what happened back stage?" Seiya asked. "That feeling. It was so warm and gentle. It felt. . . " He struggled to put it into words. "That feeling, was it coincidence, too?"

Neither Taiki nor Yaten met Seiya's probing eyes as he looked to them for answers. The feeling that they didn't want to acknowledge was oh too familiar. But it couldn't be their princess. They knew that. Hikari Aso, Hoshiko, was _not_ their princess. It didn't explain the feeling, the warm wave, but they didn't need to explain it. It wasn't important, at least not to two of them.

"Music can touch the soul." Yaten said quietly. "We've been so focused on finding her that we wish for it in places that she's not. It wasn't her. It was only a song. Nothing more."

Seiya growled. "You're just going to write this off? We didn't imagine it. We didn't wish for her to appear here." His brothers gawked at him. "I know that Hikari isn't her," He said quickly, "but there is something strange and special about her. We can't ignore it."

Taiki stood straighter. "We can." He said forcefully. Seiya's deep blue eyes shot at him. "We don't need anymore distractions from our mission. We can't chase leads that don't go anywhere."

Yaten privately agreed. He felt something for Hikari, a kinship of singers, but he knew better than to get caught up in it. They had a goal. No distractions.

Seiya looked away from them. "Fine. Do what you will. I'll leave it alone but only for now."

"Seiya-" Taiki began, his violet eyes pleading understanding. The dressing room door opened in that moment, Hikari came out tugging on a white jacket.

"Sorry about that. Something's come up. My friend needs me right now so our visit is cut short." She smiled sadly. "You're forgiven for walking in on my concert; don't think for a moment that I won't do the same. But I'd like to see you guys again real soon." She said, stretching out her hand to Seiya.

Seiya shook her hand. "Sure thing." He said before his brothers could respond. "We'd like that." Hikari smiled brighter.

"Well then, see ya soon!" She said as she walked away. For a moment Taiki let her go before he tore himself from the wall and jogged to her. He gently pulled her by the shoulder, turning her back around. Shocked, Hikari looked up at him in askance.

"Please, let us escort you to your friend's place. It's already late and the trains aren't running anymore." Taiki said. "It's the least we can do."

Hikari pulled his hand off smoothly. "It's fine." She said, holding his hand momentarily before letting go. "It's only a few blocks from here, and it's a safe neighborhood. I'll be fine. But thank you." She grinned, before waving to them and disappearing down the hall.

Taiki stood there for a minute, his hand suddenly foreign to him. Yaten patted him on his shoulder. "Oi, lets get home. It's late."

"Yeah. . . " Taiki quietly agreed.

* * *

Wow! This chapter was kinda hard for me to write, so many people with different opinions, sigh, sooo difficult. The concert was written very differently when I had the idea, but this is much better than what I had. Still, I'm not a huge fan of this type of writing, but it was needed to introduce Hoshiko! Now before you go saying "Oh oh, I know who she issssssss!" Remember, I have lots of changes headed your way…..or I could be tricking you. ^.^ only my editor and I know the truth, hahaha!

Well, now that that's done, I need reviews from you people, yes indeed I do! So please review my work, help me out here!

Greatly appreciated!!!!


	5. Chapter 4: Reactions

I do apologize for not having updated in so long, I dare not look at _how_ long. This chapter is half the size of the orginal for one very good reason, it's only the first half. The thing that has held me up the most is a part in the second half that has had me stumped! But I think I might just start posting shorter chapters and see if that helps with the updates. Maybe. For this one it will be. The next update should be only a week away, maybe less. The next chapter will be FULL of Hoshiko, FULL! Anyways, please review, it would help me to know if anyone likes this thing I've created. . . . . .

Chapter Four

_Reactions_

Since the concert on Tuesday, tension had risen among the senshi. Haruka, Michiru and Setsuna had been mulling over every bit of intelligence on Hikari Aso aka Hoshiko. They had enlisted Ami and Minako's help with her domestic information and a few of Haruka's friends in California for the rest. It took around a week to gather and go through the documents. Hikari was born on June 23rd, seventeen years ago in Kyoto, Japan. When she was five she moved to California due to a transfer in her father's company. Her mother was a housewife that did oil painting on the side, and was quite accomplished in that respect. Michiru had mentioned seeing several of Akari Aso's paintings in exhibitions displaying her, Michiru's, own works. They were mostly landscapes, nothing extraordinary there. Hikari and her mother frequently returned to Japan over the years, mostly week long visits for art exhibitions or to visit friends. Hikari had graduated from middle school in the US with top marks. Her test results on several Japanese high school entrance exams would rival Ami's. Her father was transferred back to Japan to help in the Tokyo area. The family moved to this suburb, Crossroads, only three weeks ago. Aside from being a singing sensation in America and now Japan, Hikari was perfectly ordinary, she even had a cat. She was completely normal. There were no strange tales of sudden outbursts of powers, strange occurrences or nightmares for Hikari. There was nothing indicating she had any special powers.

Hotaru would not take part in the investigation. She told everyone they were being overly cautious and should just leave it alone. Hoshiko wasn't an enemy. That was the final word from Hotaru. Rei concluded the same after three nights of fire readings into Hikari. Exhausted, she visited the outer senshi to report nothing out of the ordinary in her aura or in those around her. Makoto took Rei's word for it, and Minako, after handing Michiru the information she requested said that she had been watching Hoshiko, as a fan, for a while now and there was nothing weird about her, or too terribly special. Ami had been the only senshi from the inners to spend extra attention to it though she claimed it was not from suspicion but rather covering all of her bases. It was important to explore all options and thoroughly research them.

Haruka sighed, tossing another pile of documents in with a stack of papers on their kitchen table. Ami looked up from her laptop. They were finishing the last bit of information that day. They had exhausted their research and were official Hoshiko buffs, they knew everything there was to know about the girl.

"Is something wrong, Haruka?" Ami asked, removing her glasses.

"No, nothing. There's nothing wrong and there's nothing here. Everything is legit, unless you got something from the fan website." Haruka said, throwing her arms behind her head, leaning back in her chair. Ami shook her head, closing her laptop.

Setsuna was in the kitchen, sipping some tea. She glanced outside, whispering thoughtfully to herself. "I suppose we imagined it."

"We might just be on edge with all these new enemies around." Michiru concluded, sitting beside Haruka and Ami at the table, setting down the documents of Hikari's childhood she had been reviewing.

A song filled the air. A soft voice was singing the lyrics to one of Hoshiko's songs, _Butterfly_. They all turned to find Hotaru prancing down the stairs with her music player in hand and her earphones up so loud that they could even hear Hoshiko singing. She'd been listening to it nonstop since she bought it. Haruka grabbed an earphone as she passed her, yelling into her ear, "TOO LOUD!" Hotaru squeaked and pulled the other one out, stopping her player.

"What have I told you? Do you want to go death at an early age?" Haruka lectured.

"No, I don't. Sorry." Hotaru said quietly, grabbing a drink from the fridge she plopped next to them at the table. Glancing at the papers, she frowned. "Are you still investigating Hoshiko?"

"Nope, done, there's nothing there. Nothing at all." Haruka shook her head.

"Great!" Hotaru cried. "Can I have these?" she asked, indicating the papers.

"Sure."

Hotaru cheered, gathering the papers, her drink and her music player and dashed back up the stairs, her door closing loudly behind her. Ami giggled.

Setsuna grinned. "She really likes her, huh?"

"Loves." Michiru corrected.

"Adores." Haruka mumbled.

* * *

Usagi had been completely out of it for the whole week since the concert. Luna would check up on her every couple of hours at home and would always find her sitting on her bed, staring out the window, her headphones in and the music turned up. Her eyes didn't seem to be looking at anything, just gaze into space. Worried that she was acting spacey at school too, Luna called Minako and asked. Minako told Luna that Usagi hadn't seemed out of it at all. She wasn't flakier than normal.

"Why do you ask, Luna?" Minako said into the receiver.

"Well, she just sits in her room day after day, listening to Hoshiko's album. I don't know what to do with her." Luna explained, concern lacing her tone.

"Oh, that's why she wanted to borrow that CD from me." Minako commented. "She might be trying to figure everything out, like what she saw at the concert. Maybe she is trying to see if she can see another vision or find out why she had it in the first place. Haruka and the others are also investigating Hoshiko, but I don't think they'll find anything." Minako said, thoughtfully.

"I see. Thank you, Minako." Luna said as she hung up the phone.

Luna headed straight to Usagi's room to check on her. Nudging the door open, Luna found her once again on her bed with the headphones on again. Luna jumped on the bed and pawed Usagi's leg to get her attention.

"Luna?" Usagi cried, pulling the headphones off. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong. But I'm worried about you." Luna said, sitting back. "Is there something you'd like to talk about? Like that vision or Hoshiko."

Usagi looked away. She figured that it wouldn't take too long for Luna to notice that something was wrong. In truth, Usagi had been trying to see that vision again. She needed to know if it was true, extend the vision if possible. She wanted to see if she missed something. The Star Princess had not moved but that didn't mean she was dead, there may have been more to it. Beryl has made mistakes before. Usagi thought that Hoshiko had been responsible for the vision but after listening to her album day in and day out, even watching her concert on TV didn't produce the vision again. "I'm sorry Luna. I was just trying to see it again." Usagi admitted, pulling her knees to her chest. "I wanted to see if I missed something, if Princess Ceres had survived." Luna looked concerned.

"That's not healthy, Usagi. We haven't seen her or heard from her since the attack. She would have come straight to the Moon if she had survived."

"I know. I was just seeing if, well I'm really not all that sure what I was trying to see but," Usagi pulled her knees to her chest, hugging them tightly. "I haven't seen anything. I'm not sure why I saw the vision in the first place but I don't think I will ever have that vision again."

Luna nodded. "Then it's a good idea to put it behind you." Usagi agreed, giving Luna a smile. "Its also a good idea to get some sleep now. You've got school tomorrow."

"All right, Luna." Usagi said, clearing off her bed and curling up under her sheets. "Good night."

Luna curled up at the end of the bed, "Good night, Usagi." She managed to murmur before sleep overtook her.

Usagi glanced down at Luna before returning her attention to the night sky outside her window. The moon shined down into her bedroom, casting its silver glow over Usagi. _The moon will be full tomorrow night. It's so beautiful, the way it shines. It's a shame that we don't live there anymore, looking down at the Earth. I'll bet the Earth is just as beautiful as the moon._ Usagi sighed. _I wonder if the Star Kingdom was as beautiful as the Moon was? It must have been._ Usagi yawned, falling asleep, her dreams full of reminiscences on the Moon.

* * *

The Three Lights were much better off than the Senshi. They didn't need to worry about Hoshiko since they had met her in person. They knew from their experience backstage that she was a regular person, not an enemy. What they had to worry about was the press. They had been hounded by paparazzi every time they went out. They were shouting questions and taking pictures of them, more so than usual. They always asked the same questions. If they had crashed Hoshiko's concert, if it was planned, what were they doing now, were they going to perform together again and other such questions. The Three Lights hadn't replied and according to the news, Hoshiko was keeping her mouth shut too. It would look bad for both idols if they told the truth or even lied about it without consulting the other. For the Three Lights, crashing a rival's concert was something idols didn't do. It was bad to be jealous and then go ruin the concert. It would create bad press. For Hoshiko, lying and saying that it was planned, even if the Three Lights admitted the truth, using the local idols to boost your own popularity at your homecoming concert was definitely frowned on. It was better that they deny everything with a simple "No comment."

Aside from the paparazzi frenzy, the Three Lights wouldn't talk about what had happened during the concert to each other. The dissenting opinions aside, the feeling that Hoshiko had invoked with that song was something they could deny to each other but not to themselves; not to their hearts. Anytime Hoshiko was talked about on TV or her music played on the radio, the three of them would fall silent, looking away from each other lost in their own thoughts. It was awkward for them. It wasn't something they could talk about. The feelings shouldn't have been there to begin with and discussing what it would mean would be the same as admitting it to them. That was forbidden territory. It was better to try to forget and that's exactly what they would do.

They hadn't returned to school for the entire week after the concert, avoiding everyone entirely. Taking some time away from the public was a way for them to compose themselves and allow no off the cuff remarks when they did return.

It was late in the evening; Seiya was lounging on the couch in the living room, reading a book. Taiki was in a chair shrugging through the paper. The radio was tuned into a classical station, filling the room with a pleasant Mozart sonata (avoiding listening to Hoshiko was an excellent idea as well).

Yaten came home in that moment. Closing the front door behind him, he called a hello and headed to the kitchen to put away the two bags of groceries he had. Seiya put his book away and leaned against the breakfast counter. "So, how did it go? You look like you're still in one piece." He grinned.

"There were no problems. No one was outside waiting; I wasn't mobbed in the store, except by fans wanting autographs, so nothing really big happened." Yaten explained, busying himself with the groceries. "It's been a week; we couldn't expect them to keep it up forever, right?"

"Then we'll start back to school tomorrow." Taiki said, coming up next to Seiya. "We've missed a lot, and we don't want to raise suspicion and we don't want to lose fans to Hoshiko, so the more public appearances the better, now that the heat from that incident has died down."

Yaten groaned. "I'd rather not go back to that place. I don't see how they do this their whole lives. School is so dull. Besides, the girls probably knew that we weren't supposed to be there. _They'll_ be asking us why. What should we tell them, Taiki?"

"The truth." Seiya said. Taiki agreed. "There's no reason to lie. If they ask, we'll tell them."

"Good, it's settled. Let's get some rest tonight, no sleeping in." Taiki chided, heading off to his room. Yaten stuck his tongue out at his brother's back.

"Ugh, can't we just play music instead?" He growled, shoving the last of the grocery's into the refrigerator. "We don't need anything else but our music and Her."

Seiya laughed. "I think you're wrong." Yaten glowered. "No, wait, hear me out! We want to find Her but for Her to hear us we have to be popular. _Everyone _needs to hear us, to know us. The more news about us, the more pictures and positive press, the better chance we have of finding her. Schools have fan club that reach all over the city. That's why we go to school. We stand out." Seiya smiled. They _will_ find their special Lady. She was on earth, on this island. They just had to reach her somehow. The best way was to be idols, to sing Her song in the hopes that she would hear them and return. "She will find us. We will be with Her again."

Yaten pouted for a moment longer. "Still hate going. . . . ."

* * *

I'm having to watch this season over as I write because I feel like I'm losing what the charaters are all about. Sorry if they seem out of it, they'll go back to normal soon.

I also think I might change the genre. I have it under adventure first because it _is_ an adventure with minute romance that will occur much later but even then adventure is the front runner. . . . . I haven't decided yet.

Oh well! Review please! :)


	6. Chapter 5: New Student

Hi there! I'm back! In this chapter there is a whole lot more of Hoshiko and I hope that everyone likes what they see. The next chapter is already typed and has been edited once. I'm going back over it again then I'll post it but that may still be a few more days. That one has waaaay more of Hoshiko in it. And you know what could get it out faster? REVIEWS! Yeah, that would motivate me big time! Just saying.

* * *

Chapter 5

New Student

"Yaten!" Taiki called from the front door. He glanced at his wristwatch. They would be rushing if their brother didn't hurry. Seiya was on the floor next to him putting his shoes on.

"Its fine, Taiki. We won't be late." Seiya commented, looking at his own watch.

"I'm thinking of the crowd usually waiting for us at the gate. We won't have time for them if we **DON'T LEAVE NOW**!" Taiki said, raising his voice loud enough for Yaten to hear the last part.

"Coming! I'm coming!" Yaten called, appearing in the hallway, his shoes in hand. "Tell me why we're going to school again." He mumbled, slipping his shoes on. Taiki and Seiya ignored him walking out the door.

"Hey! Wait!" Yaten yelled, hurrying after them.

Arriving at school, the three of them found the schoolyard filled with students milling about, talking excitedly.

Seiya glanced around. "Wonder what's going on. Is it for us?"

"I don't think so. They haven't noticed us." Taiki said as they continued to the school building. "But they are waiting for something."

"Seiya!"

"Taiki! Yaten!"

The Three Lights looked up to find Usagi, Minako, Ami and Makoto waving at them in front of the building. Approaching the girls, they asked what was going on with everyone hanging around outside.

"We're not really sure ourselves." Minako said.

Seiya looked over at Usagi. "Good morning, Odango." He greeted. She smiled and returned the greeting. Seiya breathed a sigh of relief, she seemed like she was back to normal. She did not seem like herself at the concert. She had been on his mind the whole week they were away from the public. Seiya was sure he could count on the girls to look after her but that didn't stop him from wishing that he had been there for her too.

"How are you girls doing?" Taiki politely asked.

"How are we doing?" Minako shrieked angrily. "We've been worried about you guys for the last week! We haven't heard a peep from you about what happened at that concert! And you never told _me_ that you knew Hoshiko or asked if I wanted to meet her! If I didn't know you any better, I'd say that you were avoiding us!"

Yaten rubbed his ear. "We were avoiding everyone." Minako pinned him with a death glare. Yaten took a step back. "To answer the rest of it," He said, placating Minako. "We don't actually know Hoshiko; we didn't plan what happened at the concert."

Usagi had looked away at the mention of Hoshiko and the concert. She muttered an excuse and took off inside the building before the others could say anything more.

Taiki turned to Ami. "What is the matter with her?"

"It's a little complicated." Ami shook her head. "She's been like this since the concert. She had a vision of sorts we think, but we have been unable to find the cause of the vision. She normally doesn't have any unless it's triggered by something."

"We heard her say that at the concert." Yaten said. "What was the vision about?"

The girls hesitantly looked at each other however; any answer they were going to give was cut off by the school bell. Makoto grabbed Ami and Minako's arms. "Ah! That's the bell. We'd better head to class before we're late." She laughed half heartedly dragging the girls with her.

Yaten frowned. "We almost had them." He muttered, moving into the school.

Taiki patted him on the shoulder. "It's really not that important."

"I just wanna know the whole story." Yaten said, opening his shoe locker. "Call it curiosity."

They hurried to class, taking their seats. Seiya noted that Usagi was trying to look busy with getting her school supplies out, even though they knew that she never really took notes. It is a shame that Ami was not in the same class as the rest of them, Seiya would have liked to ask her about Usagi again.

The teacher walked in a moment later, calling the class to order. The school principal, Mr. Urameshi, followed him in. The class looked perplexed as to why their principal was visiting their class. It might be a special announcement.

Their teacher cleared his throat. "Mr. Urameshi would like to speak with all of you about something very important." The principal stepped forward.

"As most of you are already aware, today is a special day for the school." He caught the Three Light's eyes and looking a little flustered. "Our school seems to be a magnet for special events. Now, we have a new transfer student who will be joining your class. I expect the best behavior from all of you and trust you to treat your new classmate with kindness." The class broke out in quite whispers. Realization dawned on the Three Lights. The students that had been out in the yard, talking excitedly must be connected to this new student. "Please come in, dear." The principal said to someone outside the door.

A young girl walked in and stood beside the principal. The entire class went completely still. She was wearing the standard school uniform, long knee length navy blue skirt, a navy blue and white sailor shirt with a bow matching the skirt tied in the front. The young girl's bright green eyes were emphasized by her light skin tone and long black hair that was styled into two pigtails and tied into braids to her shoulders only to flow freely the rest of the way to her knees. The girl swept into a graceful bow.

"Good morning." Her soft clear voice rang through the room. "My name is Hikari Aso. It is very nice to meet all of you. Please regard me kindly."

The class atmosphere was very still, everyone's attention focused on the new student, the new famous student. The shock and awe clearly displayed on each student's face. The Three Lights shot each other identical looks of concern. Minako looked nervously at Usagi. Usagi couldn't tear her eyes from Hikari.

With a short farewell, the principal left. "Ms. Aso," The teacher addressed her. "You may take the seat behind Ms. Kino. Ms. Kino?" Makoto stood up.

Hikari bowed again and took her seat as the lesson began.

* * *

Throughout the morning, everyone in the class was stealing glances at their new classmate, but she seemed pleasantly unaware of it. They just could not believe their luck at having _another_ idol joining the class. The girls stared in admiration and the guys in affection. As soon as the bell rang dismissing class for lunch period, most of her classmates immediately crowed around Hikari's desk, blocking her from view. The Three Lights and the inner Senshi gathered at the door.

"Wow!" Yaten huffed. "Didn't expect this, she's showing up everywhere now."

"Never mind that," Seiya said. "Girls, what were you saying earlier? About what happened at the concert?" Usagi's eyes widened. The others looked to her to answer. In truth, it was Usagi who should answer the guys' questions, not them. She was the one who had the vision and the only one with the right to tell them or not.

"Usagi," Usagi turned to see Ami coming down the hall from her classroom. "I think you should tell them. They might have heard something about it from their planet. It's worth a shot anyway." She smiled kindly.

"Know about what?" Taiki innocently asked. They already knew most of the story, but they didn't know the specifics. The more information they had about that planet's history it would be less likely that they could be taken off guard. The girls didn't know how much they knew. Maybe the three of them might know something if they heard the whole story. As Ami had said, it couldn't hurt.

Usagi agreed. "Yes, maybe, but not here." She said glancing around as students passed them, waving and openly gawking at the Three Lights.

"Alright! Let's go to the roof then." Makoto said, grabbing her lunch, leading the way up. A few short moments later, they were gathered in a lopsided circle eating lunch and filling the Three Lights in with everything that had happened. In between bites, they explained about the Moon Kingdom, the Star Kingdom, Queen Beryl, the Negaverse and how they came to live on Earth. They ended with the recent dreams, memory loss and Usagi's vision.

For a moment they sat in silence, chewing over everything, allowing it to sink in.

"Star Princess?" Yaten breathed. Turns out the three of them had missed a little bit of what was said, but with all the information it filled in the gaps concerning the girls and how tight their relationship was. After going through what they had, it was understandable why they were all protective of each other. Yaten could recall when he and Taiki had especially hated Usagi after Seiya had gotten hurt protecting her. They had said such awful things to her, saying that bad things had come to them because of her. The other four girls had been so offended and had done their best to show them that Usagi was not bad luck. They stuck up for her with such fervor that Yaten himself was moved. He could finally see what they had been talking about with his own eyes. Usagi really was strong.

"So what you saw, Odango, was her . . . um, death?" Seiya asked tentatively. "That's pretty intense. I'm sorry that we don't know anything about it. I can't ever recall hearing about a place called the Star Kingdom. Did you guys?" He asked his brothers. They shook their heads.

Usagi sighed, "Its fine, it was a long shot anyway that you would have heard anything about it. As for the vision . . . it was atrocious. The methods that Beryl had used to get her way caused so much unhappiness. She was one of our toughest opponents. " Usagi explained. "It really took all of us to bring her down."

"Sounds like you girls have had it rough." Taiki commented.

Yaten, already tired of the conversation, stood up to stretch and leaned on the roof's fence. He understood more than ever how hard their life had been. He envied the senshi. They had been able to protect their princess, Serenity, keep her safe. Sure, they lost her cousin but it was a war and there would be casualties. At least they knew she was dead, not hiding from them. . . .from their enemy. He would mourn his Lady if she had died. But Yaten was sure that he would be dead long before he allowed anything to happen to her. He would never go through this kind of separation again, nor their kind either, he thought glancing back at the girls. He shook his head banishing those morbid thoughts and turned to stare out at the schoolyard. It was then he noticed a group of people crowed around a tree. Upon closer inspection, he found Hikari at the center of it. She looked like she was holding a lunch conference, all of the others students were hanging on her every word. Yaten scoffed. "I can't believe this? What're we now? Geez, these people act like they've never seen an idol before."

Everyone looked over at his comment. "Yaten, what are you talking about?" Seiya asked, bemused.

"Hikari!" He pointed down at the group. "She's down there holding a gathering with her little fans." Yaten ridiculed. "Stupid lap dogs."

Minako appeared at his side. "Funny, those look like the same "lap dogs" that worshipped you."

"Ah, shut up!" Yaten cried, turning around.

Taiki ignored his brother's and Minako's bickering. He looked over at Usagi, who was picking at her lunch. "Usagi, do you believe it was Hikari who gave you that vision?" It was something that Taiki had wanted to ask. The feelings that he and his brothers were not talking about aside; if Hikari had special powers it was important information that could be vital to their mission. The question brought the others back to the conversation.

"N-no, I mean, I did but I don't think so anymore." Usagi explained. "I've tried to see it again, to see if it had something to do with her but I wasn't able to. It seems that I was just being sensitive to the others who had dreamed of her, that's all."

"Haruka had called me after the day after the concert." Ami added. "Apparently they had the same thought as you, Usagi. They wanted help with gathering and interpreting information on Hikari Aso. After going through all the information we could, we came to the same conclusion. Hikari is just a normal teenage idol."

"Normal? Please!" Yaten huffed. Taiki sighed.

"Yaten, get over it. The hype will die down in a few days or so." Yaten was about to rattle off another comment when the bell rang, ending lunch. They gathered their stuff and headed back to class. The Three Lights dragged a little behind, out of hearing range.

"Well?" Yaten whispered. "Now we have the whole story. It doesn't seem very useful, but it's good to know, I guess."

"But we didn't gain anything that would help us in our mission other than Hikari _didn't_ cause Usagi's vision. There was also nothing special in her background to indicate otherwise." Taiki said thoughtfully.

"It's fine. It looks like there's really nothing there to worry over. They're over it, so we should get over it too." Seiya said. "We've got to focus on our music. Whether Hikari is a 'special' person doesn't matter now. Hoshiko is a rival we need to be concerned with."

The group arrived to their classroom, Ami going off to her own, only to find a large group surrounding a desk. Hikari's fan club hadn't left her side yet. Makoto, who sat in front of Hikari, could not return to her seat, the fans were using it. Makoto waited patiently for them to disburse while talking with Usagi and Minako at their desks.

"Settle down, class." The teacher said, sliding the classroom door shut. "Please take your seats." The crowd around Hikari did as told and Makoto finally re-claimed her desk.

"Sorry." A voice whispered behind Makoto at the same time their teacher began his lesson. Makoto glanced behind her finding Hikari leaning forward. "I'm sorry about those girls covering your desk. I'll remember not to sit down till the teacher comes in." She said, winking.

Makoto smiled. "It's no problem."

"Is there something I can help you with, girls?"

Makoto and Hikari guiltily looked up at the teacher who had appeared beside them.

"No, sir"

"No, sir. We're sorry."

"Then get your books out so you can follow along."

* * *

The last school bell rang, dismissing the students from class. As people milled about, gathering their stuff and heading off to club activities or talking with their friends, the Three Lights headed out the door before anyone could notice. They had no desire to hang around and talk, that and they were getting sick over the people fawning over Hikari. Having a rival wasn't doing them any good; they needed a plan and fast. The students had been making complete fools of themselves, Yaten thought. They would go out of their way to help the girl, either racing to pick up her pencil when she dropped it or giving her the line they had stopped reading on in Literature class. It burned Yaten up when they loudly clapped for her in English class as she read and translated a whole paragraph! She had lived in an English speaking country for most of her life! Of course she knew the language! To say the very least, Yaten was the first out the door.

The same swarm of students that followed Hikari around at lunch, latched onto her as she headed home. The girls, waiting around for Ami, watched as people tripped over each other trying to get closer to the Idol.

"You know, I kinda feel sorry for her." Makoto commented. "I mean, it's gotta be a big pain to have people all over you like that." The girls nodded in agreement, not able to add anything to that.

Ami came up behind them. "How was class?" She asked cheerfully as they left.

"We have homework." Usagi and Minako groaned dejectedly.

Ami giggled, "Do you want to go over it with me at _Crown's_?" The two girls jumped at the chance not only to get help on their homework but at the idea of having some cake while they were at it was not a deal to pass up.

While leaving the school building the girls spot a dark haired girl leaning against the school gate that was looking around for familiar face. She spied Usagi and the others and waved to get their attention. Looking closer the girls realized it was Hotaru.

"Hotaru? What are you doing here?" Minako asked.

"Setsuna said that Haruka and Michiru were supposed to pick me up from school today since she had a meeting to attend to off campus but I think they forgot."

Usagi laughed. "They might have. We'll walk you home; it's on the way to _Crown's._"

The girls headed out, escorting the young Hotaru home. Minako immediately started bragging about how the one and only Hoshiko was not only attending her school but was also in her class! Hotaru was shocked. She thought that if the Idol went to any school it would be a school like Rei's: all girl and elite. At this comment, Minako and Hotaru launched into a heated debate on the matter: bravely defending their dissenting opinions. The rest of them merely walked in front, trying to act as though they did not know them as they were now in the shopping district and several people were openly gaping at the two girls.

Suddenly a brilliant yellow convertible pulled up beside the girls.

"There you are! Hotaru!" Haruka called from the driver seat, hopping out. Michiru politely waved from the passenger side. "Hotaru, we're so sorry we're late! We were worried that you were lost when we pulled up to the school and couldn't find you!"

"You were late. I couldn't stand at the entrance waiting for hours! I went to Usagi's school hoping they could walk me home instead." Hotaru stated to her guardian. "I was going to call you when I got home if you weren't there."

Michiru beamed proudly. "That was a good idea. Their school isn't far and that way you would be in a group." Her tone took a more motherly turn and Hotaru hid halfway behind Haruka. "But you know that this car has a phone. Please, next time, call us before you leave the school so that we know where you are and we won't worry?"

Hotaru nodded dumbly, embarrassed. "Yes, Michiru. I'm sorry."

Haruka wrapped her in a big hug.

"You're forgiven but only if you forgive us for being late?"

Hotaru laughed, "Of course!"

"Fantastic! Then I guess Haruka and I don't have to buy you ice cream like we were going to." Michiru winked at the girls. Hotaru's response was immediate and hopeful.

"Ice cream? But Michiru, can we have some anyways?" She asked.

Haruka shook her head. "Nah! You already forgave us. I think we can eat leeks instead. It's good for you!"

Hotaru pouted. "But, "

Haruka laughed. "We're kidding!" She patted the little girl's head. "We'll get some on the way home." Hotaru cheered.

Usagi looked back at Ami with a longing look. "Ami, could we have ice cream instead of cake when we get to _Crown's_?" Minako nodded enthusiastically.

Ami grinned, shaking her head at their simplicity. "Yes, of course." She responded while inwardly asking herself why they needed her permission. While the three girls cheered about their future frozen treats, Michiru happened to look up behind the girls to see a young girl poke her head out of the alleyway near them. Her head moved, as she looked both ways, her black hair whipping around with the movement. Though the school uniform threw Michiru off for a moment, there was no mistaking that face. She had gone through so many pictures of her she felt that she would recognize her blind folded. She reached out, tapped Hotaru on the shoulder, and pointed towards the alley just as Hikari emerged from between the buildings. "I believe we've seen her before." Michiru grinned.

Hotaru spun around to where Michiru pointed and loudly gasped. "Hoshiko!" Said Idol froze and slowly turned toward the voice, seeing the large group on the sidewalk just as Hotaru appeared in front of her. Her young, eager face must have disarmed Hikari because she genuinely smiled and knelt facing Hotaru.

"Oh my! Aren't you a cutie!" She cooed. "What's your name?"

"Hotaru." She breathed excitedly.

"What a beautiful name!" Hikari commented. "You can call me Hikari if you like. Hoshiko is my stage name."

Hotaru's grin widened. "Hikari." She carefully pronounced as though testing the name. "You go to Usagi's school, right? Minako was just telling me about it!"

Hikari looked puzzled. "Who?" Hotaru pointed behind her.

"Them!" She chirped.

Hikari stood to see beyond Hotaru. Looking the group over, she saw a familiar face. "Oh!" She gasped. "You sit in front of me, don't you?" She asked Makoto.

"Uh, yeah. I'm Makoto Kino." Makoto introduced herself. Hotaru grabbed Hikari's hand and guided her to the group.

Making the introductions, Hotaru pointed to each of them. "This is Usagi Tsukino, Minako Aino, Ami Mizuno, and my guardians Michiru Kaiou, and Haruka Tenou."

Haruka held out her hand. "Nice to meet you." She smiled.

"You as well." Hikari shook the offered hand. Minako jumped in at that moment, forcefully shaking the Idol's hand.

"It's so great to formally meet you. I'm a huge fan and I'm in the fan club, and I have all of your albums, and posters and," Her words became jumbled as she spoke faster, still furiously shaking Hikari's hand. Hikari tried to look as though what Minako was saying was important but it was hard to do as she couldn't understand her anymore.

Hotaru removed Hikari's hand from Minako's fierce grip. "Minako!"

Minako looked appropriately abashed, laughing nervously.

"It's nice to meet all of you. I hope we can become friends. I don't know too many people here." Hikari said, gripping her hand in an attempt to get the feeling back. "I'm told the more people you know, the cheerier you'll be."

Michiru laughed politely, stepping out of the car. "I think it goes, 'The more the merrier,' right?"

Hikari laughed, "Yeah, like that."

"In that case, why not have lunch with us tomorrow?" Ami offered. "We could show you around the town after class?"

Hikari visibly brightened. "That would be great! It was so hard to eat today with all those people around me! Do they do that to every new student?"

Usagi shook her head. "Only if they're famous!"

"Oh, I didn't know that I was already so well known, I only just got here."

Hotaru tugged on Hikari's hand, "Of course you are! You're so beautiful and talented! Everyone loves you!"

"Oh, thank you, cutie." Hikari blushed. A sudden noise erupted from Hikari's school bag. Hotaru released her hand so she could reach into her bag for the noise. Hikari pulled out a cute pink cell phone. "Excuse me a moment." She turned around and walked a few paces, answering it.

"Hello? Neb!" She spoke a few moments, assuring the person on the other end that she was on her way home and would be there soon. Hanging up she faced the others. "Sorry about that."

Hotaru grabbed her hand again. Looking up she asked who was on the phone. Haruka cried, "Hotaru! That's rude!"

Hikari shook her head. "It's alright. She's young and curious." Looking down at Hotaru she said, "That was my friend and roommate. She was worried when I didn't head straight home and she wanted to know that I was safe. But I need to go home now." She smiled kindly, "I'll see you later, Hotaru." Hikari looked up at the other, "I'll see you girls at lunch tomorrow, ok?" They agreed and gave their partings as they watched Hikari hurry off.

Michiru murmured to Haruka, "She does seem normal. We were wrong." Haruka nodded.

"So it seems."

They packed Hotaru into the car and headed home after saying bye to the girls. Haruka asked Hotaru what it was like to meet her favorite Idol.

Hotaru grinned, her hair whipping around her. "Great! I can't wait to see her again!" Haruka smiled.

"So, what kind of ice cream do you want?" She asked turning the car towards their favorite ice cream parlor.


	7. Chapter 6: Classmates

Author's Note: Yay! I've got another one for ya! And it only took four edits to get it! lol There's more interaction with Hikari, and some of the Three Lights' thoughts on their new rival. But the best part is near the end. I just hope no one kills me. . . . . .

* * *

Chapter Six

Classmates

Over the next week, the girls got into a habit of taking their lunches on the roof of the school. They would have to bar the door if Hikari joined them to keep her fans out but it was worth it. Hikari had joined them, as promised, the day after she formally met them. She had a wonderful time with the girls that whenever she could get away she would try her best to meet them. The girls got to know the Idol better as they talked about everything. It turned out that she had a lot in common with them. She loved gym, cooking (and eating what she cooked, which endeared her to Usagi), she was a whiz at the computer, and was helping Minako master a few difficult vocals. She was not the best student in class but was always eager to improve which Ami was more than happy to help her with her subjects. Hikari met Rei one of the times that they took Hikari, in disguise, to _Crown's_. Rei took to her immediately. The girls had all become fast friends in the brief time she had been enrolled in the school.

Though Hikari remained oblivious to it, she was friends with Soldiers of Justice and with such an acquaintance; she could not avoid being dragged into their seemingly endless battle for peace. There had been an incident one day when their enemy, Sailor Lead Crow, appeared and attacked the music teacher at their school. The girls and Hikari had stayed after school to help the teacher clean up the music room that had been trashed earlier that day when Hikari's fans had stormed the room upon hearing their Idol singing. Never mind that Minako was singing with her to improve her voice. Feeling like it was their fault; they offered to clean it up after the crowd had been removed. It was when the teacher had taken out a load of trash that he had been attacked. The girls had been able to see it from the classroom windows. Usagi, Makoto and Minako had raced out yelling that they would call the police if the other two would find another teacher to inform. Ami led Hikari through the school as far from the danger as she could, pretending to be looking for a teacher while secretly hoping that they would not find one and have to go back. The whole episode had ended fairly well. The phage had been changed back, Sailor Lead Crow had long since retreated, and none of the girls' identities had been revealed. Though when Hikari had discovered that Sailor Moon had turned up and she had missed it she became a little depressed at the news. Makoto successfully distracted her by saying they could go to Rei's house and make a German chocolate cake for everyone. Hikari had brightened at the thought of baking and at Usagi's and Minako's insistence, they headed to Rei's place, post haste.

* * *

The Three Lights had to admit that they had a tough rival. They had released a new single, had a few press releases, appeared in five TV shows as special guests, and had seven autograph signings, all of this activity in the first two weeks since Hoshiko's appearance. However, their new single did not stay at number one on the radio charts for long. They held an unbeatable second but they somehow could not remain on top. What was weird was that it would flux everyday they took a poll. Some days it was Hoshiko on top and other days it would be them. Their manager said that it had to do with fan favorites and unfortunately, a lot of Hoshiko's fans came from their fan base. They were practically sharing them! The Three Lights had thought that she would be a powerful rival and indeed, it was turning out to be true. They were not discouraged. If anything, having a rival made them work harder. They were doing their best in everything, song writing, interviews, singing, dancing – anything they could do to improve. They did not slow down for a moment and the fast pace they worked at only seemed to invigorate them more. It was the challenge that drove them onward.

They had plenty of opportunities to see and speak with Hoshiko at school but did their best to be seen apart from her. It was not that they disliked her, no matter what Yaten would say. It was because they did not want their names to become analogous with each other. It would not help their cause to share any of the lime light they still possessed. They were kind enough if they were to meet, either passing in the corridor or making eye contact in class. They would not torment their rival each for their own reasons. Taiki would not – could not – harm, either physically or otherwise, another professional such as himself. That would be the highest form of crude behavior he could imagine. Yaten would not allow himself to be rude for the simple reason of wanting to appear to be the better man. Though he complained loudly about her, always in private, about how much she annoys him, or how much he would like to chase her off, Yaten was not fooling his brothers with his bravado. They could see that his eyes would light up when they spoke, even if it was a brief greeting. Seiya caught him glancing back at Hikari on more than one occasion. Taiki had even seen Yaten asking for help on his English homework. No, he was fooling no one.

Seiya's reason was very different from his brothers. It had nothing to do with professional courtesy. He was nice because she reminded him of their Princess. It was something he was getting used, too. He had first confused Usagi with his Princess and now he was confusing someone else with her. Though he would never say it aloud, he had not forgotten that concert when he first heard Hoshiko sing live. He could not forget the warm feeling rushing over him. He still felt the same every time he heard her sing. He was not so dumb as to confuse the three of them and think of them as one person. No. His Princess was very different. She was special. There could be no one like her. Not now, nor ever. Usagi was _like_ his Princess in the way that the feelings of love and belonging would radiate from her. She did her best to make everyone feel like they were important to her whether she offered a kind smile or a gentle hand. Or made them laugh from her goofy antics. She was a different kind of star. But Hikari was on a whole other playing field from the other two. She was very kind and sweet, but bold as well. Seiya believed that even if she were not an Idol, she would have been the center of attention at school regardless. She seemed to be a force of nature unto herself. A woman in every sense of the word; her mysteries were what kept others spell bound. Seiya knew that thinking of her for prolonged periods would blur the line between his Princess and the pop Idol. Something he could never afford, not on this mission. Never.

* * *

Hikari tugged her shoes off in the entry way of her apartment. She threw her bag on the dining table and pulled the refrigerator open looking for a delicious drink. Deciding that juice would taste the best, she picked a single serving bottle and proceeded to the balcony. She found her roommate lounging in a chair, sleeping. She quietly crept by her, leaning against the railing.

The town was settling into night. The noise in the street was lessening, and the sun was nearly set. She could not believe that this same place had so much trouble. She had almost had an encounter with Sailor Moon just the other day! While her friend, Anzu, had promised that it was a frequent occurrence, Hikari still could not believe her luck! She had followed all the news there was about the Sailor Senshi. She knew what all of them looked like, their names, and even what their attacks were, which seemed to be evolving as time went on. She could effectively say that she was their biggest fan; though it seemed that her new friends did not quite think the same way. When she mentioned her fascination with the Senshi, her new school friends just laughed and said that it was old news. Apparently, that was the case. They had not panicked or screamed when they saw their teacher being attacked. They flew into action, going for help. They must be used to it. Minako even confessed that a few times the girls had been personally attacked themselves! Hikari could not believe it! However, when she asked them about it, they said they did not remember much from the attacks or what they, the attackers, had been after.

"Such a quiet place for such violence." Hikari murmured to herself, taking a sip of her juice.

* * *

Hikari was late! She had been held up in class by a few of her classmates, er, fans, and was doing her best to get to the roof for lunch with the girls. She knew that if she arrived too late then Makoto's delicious bento box would be nearly empty courtesy of the bottomless pit named Usagi. Hikari grinned to herself. She raced up the second flight of stairs, already trailing them by ten, maybe thirteen minutes. They had a new person joining them for lunch today, a quiet girl named Aya from the cooking club who was an award winning junior chief. Her bento plus Makoto's would make this a lunch to never forget. Okay, Hikari admitted, she was a bottomless pit, too, she thought, bounding up the next flight. She was so focused on her goal and absorbed in her thoughts that she crashed into an unsuspecting student passing by the stairs, who then took a tumble back down the stairs she had just raced up. Expecting a hard landing, Hikari braced herself for impact when she landed on a surprising not hard surface, though it could not be called soft either. Peeking though her eyelids, she saw silver hair and heard a groan.

Yaten had managed to turn them around just in time to break Hikari's fall. Though it would cause him to be sore later that day and perhaps the next, the spark in her green eyes when she crashed into him was worth it. He grinned rakishly. "Didn't know you had a clumsy streak to you, Pop Star."

Hikari blushed and pulled herself off Yaten, mumbling an apology. Yaten braced himself on one arm and tugged on one of Hikari's pigtails with the other. "No worries. But you could make it better by buying me a dessert later." He winked.

Hikari grinned, "Uh, how about I make you something instead?"

Yaten chuckled. "I don't think I want to eat it! If you're as clumsy as Usagi I'd hate to see your baking skills!" Hikari looked outraged, the spark in her eyes flashing, enticing Yaten to tease her more. "I'll have to have stomach pills before hand and I'm all out at the moment."

Hikari batted his hand away. Standing she started racing back up the stairs yelling back at Yaten to avoid the stairs at lunch if he didn't want to be run over.

She was soon out of view and Yaten stood and dusted his clothes off. "It's so much fun to tease her." He grinned. Then he seemed to realize what he had just been doing. He had been _flirting_ with his rival! Heavens help him! He was flirting with the enemy! He turned to glare at the floor behind him, blaming it for his lapse in judgment, not allowing himself to admit he had liked it. No, he had been teasing her out of fun, nothing else. Settling on that train of thought he tucked his hands in his pockets and headed back up the stairs he had unceremoniously knocked down then stopped mid-step. "Wait. She didn't say when I'd get that dessert!" Before he could head after her, he heard a scream coming from the roof. He blanched. That had been where Hikari had just headed!

* * *

Upon her arrival onto the roof, a curious scene awaited Hikari. There was a dark skinned woman in a skimpy leather looking outfit who had cornered the junior chief, Aya. Two twin sparks from the woman's bracelets rocketed into Aya from two sides causing the young girl to scream from pain that no doubt spiked through her body. A brief glow appeared over her head but Hikari could not see what it was. The glow subsided and the woman growled in anger.

"Another blank!"

Before she could think, Hikari charged the woman bowling her over onto the ground. Getting up, Hikari turned to Aya, floating in mid air. In another second black cords wrapped around her and a monster appeared! The monster had green hair that stood straight up. Her outfit was a cake, a strawberry cake with frosting as pink as her skin.

"Aya!" Hikari cried. The monster brought out a whisk that suddenly grew to be ten times its normal size, with spikes!

"Hikari!" She spun around, seeing Makoto rising from the ground. "Run! It's a phage!"

Hikari was confused. Phage? No. It was Aya. She had just seen her. Hikari was about to tell Makoto as much when the woman next to her regained her composure and backhanded her halfway across the rooftop. "Hikari!" She faintly heard Makoto scream in terror. She felt herself crash roughly on the cement, rolling over a few times before stopping. Her body ached from the impact. Hikari tried to pry herself off the ground. She felt gentle hands moving her; she peered up at the person seeing it was Makoto who held her. "Sailor Tartlet, get rid of those two!" The scantily clad woman ordered as she stepped into a telephone booth that had suddenly appeared. When the door to the booth closed, it disappeared, taking the woman with it.

The monster turned to the two students. Hikari, with Makoto's help, stood up. Makoto placed herself in front of Hikari. "Now, Hikari, run! I'll hold her off!"

"No!" Hikari yelled, latching onto Makoto's arm. "You can't! It's Aya!"

The monster, Sailor Tartlet, lunged at the girls, swatting them with her spiked whisk, knocking them into the chain link fence surrounding the roof. Makoto took most of the impact and was barely able to get back up. Hikari helped Makoto to her feet as Sailor Tartlet charged them again. Hikari flinched, waiting for the blow but heard a shout and felt a gust of wind. Opening her eyes, she saw a bright gold light whip by her and Makoto, blocking the oncoming assault. Makoto remained conscious long enough to mutter, "Sailor Senshi," before she blacked out. Hikari staggered under the girl's weight, lightly placing her on the ground beside her as she looked up. It was Sailor Moon! She was yelling at Sailor Tartlet! Hikari rubbed her eyes. It was really her! Sailor Moon! On either side of Sailor Moon were Sailor Mercury and Sailor Venus!

Sailor Tartlet was not deterred by their appearance. She merely started to attack them instead of Hikari!

"Sailor Moon, look out!" Hikari screamed as the phage lunged towards her striking and shattering the ground where Sailor Moon had just stood! Hikari saw Sailor Mercury land near her and prepare for an assault, "Mercury Aqua - "

Hikari tackled her.

Sailor Mercury, gently, pushed her off. "What are you doing?"

Hikari vigorously shook her head, "You can't! You can't! It's not a monster! It's my friend Aya! You can't attack her!"

Sailor Mercury put Hikari behind her, "We know that but we have to weaken it before -" She was unable to finish her statement as Sailor Tartlet pounced on them knocking them over Makoto and into the fence again. The fence shook horribly in place, loosening from the second shock.

"Mercury!" Sailor Moon called as the two girls stumbled on top of Makoto. Sailor Venus shot an attack at the phage who saw it just quick enough to dodge it and ran at Venus, swinging her whisk around.

Sailor Moon pulled Hikari off the top of the pile as she came to from her brief stint of unconsciousness. Sailor Mercury rubbed her head, sitting up. She and Sailor Moon pulled Makoto up who had regained consciousness after than last impact.

"Sailor Moon." She said, looking hopefully up at her.

Sailor Moon nodded. "Don't worry, we'll handle it. You two should make a run for the door as soon as you can." Hikari grabbed Sailor Moon's hand as the Senshi stood up. "Please Sailor Moon. Don't hurt her! She's human!"

Sailor Moon grasped Hikari's hand, removing it while smiling softly. "Don't worry. She'll be fine." She then ran to join Sailor Venus with Sailor Mercury right behind her.

Makoto helped Hikari to stand for the second time that day. "Don't worry. Sailor Moon will help her." Hikari looked worried. She could not see how attacking the phage would help.

Sailor Moon and the other two looked like they were in a pinch. The phage had viciously attacked Venus who looked more than worse for wear, and Sailor Mercury could not seem to get a direct hit. Sailor Tartlet had them cornered and was about to attack when a cry rang through the air and a beam of light smacked the whisk from her hand. Glaring in the direction the attack came from; the phage saw three women dressed in black outfits glaring back. They quickly introduced themselves as the Starlights. The one with black hair was called Sailor Star Fighter, and her two sisters' one with brown hair and the other with silver, Sailor Star Maker and Sailor Star Healer, were standing next to her. Hikari sighed in relief and Makoto visibly relaxed. Back-up had arrived.

The sliver haired woman in black, Sailor Star Healer, glanced back at the two students huddled together. It had taken her long enough to find her sisters after she heard the battle start on the roof. She had not been pleased when they had finally gotten there. The noticeably battered Senshi aside, the phage appeared to have attacked the other two as well. She did a quick survey of their damage. They did not seem to be too hurt. They would probably be fine by the next day. Since they were standing and not clutching any particular limb, Star Healer surmised that they did not have any broken bones. All the same, she turned, pinned the phage with a glare, Hikari should never have been attacked! She was just a student, an innocent! She and the other two jumped behind the phage, surrounding her on all sides as the other Senshi recovered enough of themselves to prepare to attack.

"Stop right there!" Star Maker shouted.

"You're surrounded!" Star Fighter made it clear that the phage was not getting anyway even as she prepared for an attack by magically producing another giant spiked whisk.

Sailor Tartlet surveyed her surroundings: six enemies, all around her, and only one weapon. It was not enough to take out more than two at a time and it would take a few moments to swing back due to its sheer size and weight. She then spotted a weak link! The two black clad women and one of the blondes, the one with wings, were all standing next to each other and were continuously glancing behind them. A stealthy glance told her that the other two, the ones who had not attacked her, were directly behind them. A plan formed as quick as lightening in her head.

With a roar, Sailor Tartlet swung her whisk over her head several times, gaining momentum and power. She continuously looked at every enemy as though picking whom to attack. The Senshi braced themselves, readying their own power only to have her target Sailor Moon and Star Fighter. The whisk flew at them, Sailor Venus just barely managing to tackle Sailor Moon out of the way as the whisk flew over them and heard Star Maker shout her attack, hitting the phage square in the back, shooting her into the wall. Star Fighter both turned and stepped to the side, watching the whisk soar past her with a bare hint of interest until she saw the others. The two students, Makoto and Hikari, were in the direct path of the whisk now! Star Fighter had only a moment's thought; _they were the true target,_ before she raced after it.

Hikari saw the weapon heading towards them and only had just enough time to shove Makoto out of the way as the whisk made impact with her body, smashing her into the fence again. In the few seconds following, Hikari was only aware of hearing the weapon clatter to the ground as she felt the fence give and she flew head over heels towards the ledge, reaching for the fence even as she plummeted towards the ground far below; her hand missing the top of the fence by mere inches.

* * *

Yup, I see them arming, ready to come after me. I must admit though, I did it intentionally! Yup! And I was grinning quite evilly while doing so!

I regret nothing! Yes, the next chapter is written, my editor, we'll call her Stormee, said it would be unfair not to have at least written it before publishing this one. You may thank her for her kindness and hope she can help my finish editing that one in record time!

Please review! It would be very constructive to know what people think of this! Not for my own ego, but for my writing! Please, review!


	8. Chapter 7: Thoughts

Chapter Seven

Thoughts

_Hikari saw the weapon heading towards them and only had just enough time to shove Makoto out of the way as the whisk made impact with her body, smashing her into the fence, again. In the few seconds following, Hikari was only aware of hearing the weapon clatter to the ground as she felt the fence give and she flew head over heels towards the ledge, reaching for the fence even as she plummeted towards the ground far below; her hand missing the top of the fence by mere inches. _

* * *

Hikari closed her eyes, letting gravity drag her body down. This was how it was going to end? She thought. At least Makoto was safe, she had managed to shove the larger girl out of the way and that alone was an achievement. She had saved her friend; it was well worth it.

A gloved hand snatched Hikari's wrist in an iron grip, promptly halting her free fall. As she swung in the air, dangling from her arm, Hikari looked up staring straight into jade eyes topped with silver hair. "Sailor Star Healer?" She cried in disbelief. The Senshi was clearly struggling to hold onto Hikari. Her other hand was gripping the fence, using it as leverage to keep herself from falling over. Star Healer knew the fence that she was spread on was not going to hold both of their combined weight for long. She needed to pull Hikari up but it was hard enough just to keep hold of the girl and keep herself on the fence, too.

Hikari felt the fence give a little more, her body swinging as it did so. She was suddenly very afraid. "Please." She begged the Senshi holding her up, grabbing Star Healer's wrist as best she could.

Star Healer offered her a flimsy smile. "I won't let you fall. Not a chance." There was a sudden movement and Star Healer felt a weight next to her. Gripping Hikari's wrist tighter, she turned to her side to see Star Fighter was crawling across the fence as gingerly as possible. Behind them, Star Maker and Makoto had grabbed onto Star Healer's legs to help keep her in place. Star Healer could hear Sailor Moon calling out her attack on the unconscious phage returning her to normal and soon she and Sailor Venus had taken hold of Star Fighter's legs. The commotion they caused shook the fence, further frightening Hikari.

Poking her head over the edge, Star Fighter extended a hand to Hikari hanging below her. "Take my hand! We'll pull you up!" Hikari wasted no time, she gripped Star Healer's wrist tighter and with her help swung up towards Star Fighter and seized her hand. Tightening their grip, Star Fighter gave the command to start pulling. Star Healer winced as the sharper parts of the fence dug and cut into her exposed skin. Star Healer and her sister were nearly halfway back, Hikari's upper body just reaching the top of the fence. They carefully pulled her across and she was doing her best to speed it along by using her knees and feet to push herself across. Star Healer could see Hikari flinching, no doubt being sliced by the fence as well.

They all finally tumbled back onto the roof, gasping for breath. Hikari could not believe she was alive! She really thought that that would be the end of her but the near crushing hug from Makoto told her that she was alive; she had made it. She thanked everyone for saving her, her voice wavering as her body was racked with uncontrollable tremors. Hikari spotted Aya leaned up against the wall by the door. She had been returned to normal; Hikari was glad. Everyone was safe.

Star Healer collapsed to her knees in front of Hikari. Her concerned jade eyes were looking her over very carefully. She took to the task of checking for broken bones: finding only scratches and possible bruising. Star Healer's particular talent allowed her to check for internal injuries by spreading her energy through her patient's. Hikari was still shaking but having just escaped a near death experience; it was to be expected. Star Healer released a sigh of relief, gently laying her forehead against Hikari's. The Idol did not seem to know how to react, settling for staring at the Senshi until she said or did something. Star Healer gave her a soft smile.

"You are going to be alright." She whispered. "There's nothing to worry about now." Hikari barely nodded, still unsure of what she should say.

"I'm sorry, but its better this way." Star Healer said looking Hikari in the eye and with that Hikari's world became black.

* * *

Star Healer caught Hikari as she lost consciousness and laid the girl flat on her back in front of her. Makoto was immediately at her side. "What did you do?" She cried in outrage.

Star healer stood up, throwing her hair from her eyes. "Calm down, she's only unconscious. I did it so we could change back and get her to the infirmary to get her scratches tended to."

Makoto, embarrassed to have jumped to her conclusion, apologized and gathered Hikari in her arms. "I'll take her down there. Can someone get Aya?" She asked, looking over at the other student. Taiki scooped her up as the others changed back to their normal selves and paraded down to the school infirmary. After they explained to the nurse what had happened (as Senshi battles were not uncommon, the nurse was understanding) they left the two unconscious students with her, promising to come back after class. The nurse, Mrs. Yukimo, wrote notes for each of them to be excused for their tardiness as the first period after lunch had begun nearly an hour ago. It was strange to be attacked in the middle of the day and at school no less! The enemy was getting bolder and the Senshi needed to be on guard. All of them.

In class, Yaten could not concentrate. He kept seeing Hikari falling over the roof, plummeting to the ground. He was fortunate to have made it in time to catch her. He should have stalled her on the stairs, found some reason to keep her with him. If he had taken longer to talk to her, perhaps not upset her, then she would not have been in such danger. Another innocent caught in Galaxia's war. He could not bear the thought of what might have happened if he had not gone up there. He and the other Starlights do not normally get involved in Sailor Moon's fights. They try to avoid it if they can. But he had charged in, taking his brothers with him, without thinking about it. It could have ended up much worse. They, the Starlights, could have been faced with Galaxia herself. They did not know who was attacking or being attacked. They could have perished had it been Galaxia and left their mission unfulfilled. Thinking about what could have happened, either way made Yaten shudder. He and his brothers could have died in that battle or Hikari could have died. Even the other Senshi might have failed and they, the Starlights, would be exposed to Galaxia. It seemed their mission was getting more dangerous. The Three Lights needed to stay away from Sailor Moon and the other Senshi. It was the only way to finish their mission and find their Princess. Yaten, though the thought turned his stomach, would do his best to stay out of the Senshi's fights even if it meant innocents were involved. It was all for their Princess and _she_ would understand their reasons, would she not?

* * *

After the school day had finished, Usagi and the others went straight to the infirmary to check on their friends. Aya had woken up and was ardently telling the nurse all that had happened. She did not seem to remember anything after being turned into a phage. When the girls came in, Aya asked if they were all right and how they had escaped. Ami fielded the question, explained that aside from Makoto, who had stayed behind to help, the others had left to find a teacher. Aye readily accepted the explanation and after another evaluation she was declared fit to leave. She waved to the girls as she a huge grin plastered to her face exclaiming that she could not wait to tell her family about the _exciting_ day.

Hikari had not woken up. Mrs. Yukimo explained that it might have been shock or exhaustion that kept her asleep to help her recover. She told the girls to head home and she would take Hikari home when she was awake. After a few moments arguing about wanting to stay and help, the girls yielded to Mrs. Yukimo, after she gave them a hard stare, and left to go home. They would be able to speak with Hikari the next day when she got to school.

Yaten stood outside the infirmary door, casually leaning against the wall. Yaten explained that he wanted to check with Mrs. Yukimo about Hikari, just to cover their bases. The girls informed him of Hikari's condition and that the nurse would take her home. Yaten seemed satisfied and turned to leave.

"Yaten?" Usagi called to him. He paused a moment in his stride. "Um, the girls and I were going to meet Rei at _Crown's_, would you guys like to join us?"

Yaten did not spare a glance back. "No." He left, rounding the corner.

A short while later the girls met Rei, met at _Crown's_ to fill her in with all that had happened that afternoon. Rei was not surprised. The enemy had been showing up just about everywhere. The recent attacks were starting to center around them, people that they knew.

"Your Softball Captain, your Music teacher, your classmate. Even you have been attacked, Usagi." Rei listed off some of the recent victims. Ami caught something that Rei had said.

"Wait a minute, girls." She said. "Usagi was attacked by that Sailor in blue, um, Aluminum Siren, but she didn't get what she was after, the Star Seed. She failed but we haven't seen her since. It's been those other two, Red Crow and Tin Nyanko, I think their names are." The rest nodded, encouraging Ami to continue. "There have been, " She paused to count in her head, "Six attacks since that night on the airplane, but not once has Usagi been the target. Why is this?"

Minko shook her head. "Ami, why do you want Usagi to be attacked?"

"Know your enemy." Ami stated. "We know they are after Star Seeds, but we don't know why. One of their members has vanished, but why? If Usagi does have what they need, why haven't they come after her again?"

The girls sat, deep in thought. It was a good question, if only for them. They were unaware of Galaxia's ruthless methods. She was not one to tolerate failure. One of her own had vowed to get a Star Seed and returned empty handed. That was failure. That deserved death. That was what Sailor Aluminum Siren got. Galaxia did not bother with trash who could not handle the assigned workload.

While deep in thought, Usagi recalled the time when she and Seiya had been attacked in a dance club. "Sailor Iron Mouse." She murmured. The girls focused their attention on Usagi as she muttered to herself. "Galaxia destroyed her. Sailor Iron Mouse. She did something."

"Usagi, what are you saying?" Makoto asked, being the one sitting next to Usagi, she was able to clearly hear what she had said. "Galaxia killed Iron Mouse? The one with the white hair?"

Usagi did not seem to realize she had been talking aloud. "Oh! Um, yes. It was when I was at that club. Sailor Iron Mouse was in that phone booth that appears to take them away. She was saying something to the Starlights and then Galaxia had appeared in front of her. She took her bracelets, the gold ones with the jewels they all wear, and Iron Mouse vaporized on the spot."

Ami pondered it for a moment. "I see. She must have done something and Galaxia punished her."

Minako looked worried, "Ami, killing isn't punishing, its killing."

"Probably not to Galaxia. It doesn't seem like she is the type of person to care about human lives. I'm willing to bet that she killed Aluminum Siren." Ami reasoned.

"But it doesn't explain why they haven't come after Usagi again."

"Perhaps Siren never told them. She might have wanted the glory for herself." Makoto suggested. "She was usually seen with that Red Crow person except for a few times like that night. The plane fiasco had been preplanned. If Red Crow wasn't there it was likely because Siren didn't include her for one reason or another."

"That's a good point." Ami said. "In any case, Usagi," She pinned the girl with a hard look. "For a while, I want you to be careful. Let someone know where you are going at all times, just to be safe. Ok?"

Usagi smiled. "I will, Ami. It'll be fine."

* * *

Hikari profusely thanked Mrs. Yukimo for escorting her home, assuring her that she felt fine. Lightly closing her door, Hikari sighed heavily. It had been a – well, she really did not know how to describe the day's events. She tossed her book bag on the dining room table and searched for her roommate to tell her all about her – weird was the word – day. "Neb!" She called, climbing the stairs to the second floor of three-story apartment. She wondered down the hall to Neb's room. Knocking and getting no answer, Hikari tried the door; it was open. She poked her head in and heard the shower running in the adjoining bathroom. "Neb?" She yelled through the bathroom door.

"Hikari? Is that you?" She heard the reply.

"Yeah, I've got something to tell you as soon as you're done." Hikari answered.

"Will it explain why you're so late getting home?" Hikari could hear the barely concealed sarcasm.

"Yeah." She replied, rubbing her still sore head. Why did she have a headache, its not as though she hit it? "It's Sailor Moon. She appeared at school today and I was caught in the middle of it."

"What?" Neb screamed!

"Don't fall."

"I didn't!" Neb assured her. "Are you ok? I'd come out to see but – "

"Yes, I'm fine, nothing serious. I'll order some dinner and tell you all about it when you get out."

"Ok! Go! I'm starving! I've been waiting on you!" Neb grumbled.

"Yeah, Yeah." Hikari murmured to herself. "She could've had dinner without me." She bounced down the stairs, wincing at her new bruises, snatching the phone up she ordered their take out from a nice restaurant a few blocks over from their building.

Waiting for the eatery to answer, Hikari chuckled to herself, "She'll probably faint when she hears I almost fell off the roof."

* * *

Seiya could not sleep. The blaring green light of his digital clock was keeping him awake. There was no way it could be 2:30 in the morning; it had to be closer to dawn, it just had to be! There was no way he had laid staring at his ceiling, door, window and ceiling again for only fifteen minutes! He grunted his frustration, kicking his bedspread off of him in a temper. He stomped onto the floor and grabbed his t-shirt he had discard three hours ago thinking he had just been too hot to sleep. He yanked the shirt over his head, deeming it was better not to risk any chill, and thumped down the stairs to the kitchen. He searched for a light after midnight snack, hoping that it would help him sleep (somehow).

His thoughts were a place he was avoiding. There had been too much running through his head in the last few weeks that he did not know quite how to deal with. Not just yet anyway. The most important thing was that he and his brothers had not located their Princess yet. Not only that, but they did not have any clues to go on either. It would help them just to have a hint, a whiff, an indication that she was near! Oh sure, Taiki and Yaten seemed hopeful! They claimed that they had smelled their princess's scent. What a laugh! They were getting pathetic. A scent? How was that supposed to help them? He shook his head, closing the fridge. He could not understand. They were searching so hard. Everyone else, except the only one who mattered, had heard them. _Well, that's a difference of opinion there._ He thought wryly to himself. That was how his other two problems came about.

He could no longer deny it; Seiya knew that he had developed very strong feelings, an attachment, a powerful ardor to Usagi. He was not sure if it had begun when he first saw her at the airport, or if it had been their date at the amusement park, or when he found that he could not hide the truth from her any longer about who he was and why he was there; all he knew was that he had fallen for her. Usagi had a brilliant glow around her, lighting up the room everywhere she went. She had a perpetual smile on her face that was more contagious than any virus. _Ha! Virus? Seiya, you're in deep. You're comparing her to an illness!_ He sank into a chair at the kitchen table, taking a long sip of his cool drink. Though, it was truth. Usagi could make you forget your worries with that wide grin and laughter. She did not let anything keep her spirit down; it was that same spirit that he had been drawn to. Back on his home planet, he had only ever met the women of the Royal Court. Their Princess hardly ever ventured out into the cities though when she did, he was too busy monitoring her than observing the mannerisms of other women. This was perhaps the first time he had ever come across anyone with as much _spunk_ as Usagi! It was very endearing. Seiya grinned to himself. The other girls, Usagi's friends, were kind of like her in that way, too. They all had a special glow around them. He supposed it could have to do with their supernatural abilities but he would rather believe that it was their spirits. Their indomitable spirits. Usagi still shined brighter. As Sailor Moon, she positively radiated power, elegance, and strength. That might have been why the girls defended her so vehemently against his brothers even as they tried to win their trust. Yaten and Taiki had blinders on; it was the only way Seiya could explain how they never seemed to understand Sailor Moon. They were too focused. _Or you're not focused enough. _A nasty voice hissed in Seiya's head.

He shook his head, trying to clear it out. He may not have the focus but he was giving it his all. It was not as though they could go search on foot for her! They had to show her they were there looking. _She_ had to find them. She needed to know they were there for her, that they needed her. Seiya's Princess could suppress her very core, her power, to a level where not even Galaxia, in all her horrible glory could find her. It would be impossible, beyond impossible, to find her in that state!

This led Seiya to his third problem, Hoshiko. Their managers, producers, publicists, and everyone else in the "Business" were assuring them that some healthy competition would only help them. Seiya did not seem to think so, not for them. They did not want fame for fortune's sake; they needed it. They could not risk not being heard. It was that danger that he did not like. However, it was not that Seiya, or his brothers for that matter, thought that Hoshiko could silence them. They knew that as a group they had more market potential than a solo artist did. It was not Hoshiko herself that was the issue, it was Hikari Aso. She - Seiya could not put into words how she made him, made them feel. It was a though a look, a smile, a touch could inflame him! He had not been around her that long! It was unreal how much she disarmed them! It had started that first night, the concert when they picked up their microphones and sang with her. It was then that there was no going back. Seiya knew. He knew it in his own mind and he saw it in his brothers' eyes. They would never, will never, admit how much she affects them but he knew. He could see it.

When Hoshiko would come on the radio, he could see Yaten lip-syncing the lyrics, Taiki tapping his fingers to the tune. He watched them at school. Hikari would answer a question, turn to talk to someone, laugh, eat, walk, _anything_, and they were watching! Their expressions were so intermingled. Confusion, anger, hope, warmth, admiration, approval, frustration, it was all displayed plain-as-day on their faces! Seiya allowed a small laugh. He knew they thought he only saw Usagi. They probably thought he was blind to all else. They were wrong. As their natural leader, he was always watching them. He had long perfected the art of stealth observation. It helped that it came so naturally to him. He monitored them the same as he had watched their Princess. He wanted them safe and happy. He could see how the destruction of their planet had affected them. They could not shake it. They were carrying the dead weight around with them, pinning it all on the hope of finding their Princess; the hope of rebuilding it. Seiya would catch glimpses of their old selves from time to time. How could they not see it themselves? It always happened around the girls. They could be so carefree with them! Why could they not see it? That lighthearted atmosphere was occurring more frequently and Seiya could only think of Hikari and the source. Those unguarded moments were with her. Yaten's actions proved that today. He had endangered his life. He had placed Hikari's above his own and that was significant! He could remember when he had once saved Sailor Moon by being a human shield, how hurt and angry his brothers had been! Granted, they were angrier with her, but he still felt their fury. They could not believe he would put himself in harm's way when they had not finished their mission. And for Sailor Moon! Seiya could not help the irony. Yaten had been the worst, now he had done the same thing and he had yet to hear Taiki yell at him. Funny how things happen like that? They were changing. It was sometime subtle, like a carefree smile, and sometimes bold like nearly flying off a roof to save someone you hardly know!

Seiya rinsed his glass, forgoing a more solid snack. He trudged back up the stairs, pausing at Yaten's room. There was a faint light under the door. Yaten must be awake; he never forgot to turn off his light. Seiya could never remember a time that his brother had fallen asleep in his bed with any lights on. Seiya continued to his room down the hall, quietly closing his door. His brother might not be as ignorant of the change as he had assumed. Seiya still doubted that he understood it, though. Yaten was probably making excuses for it or trying to ignore it completely. Seiya crawled back into bed, his t-shirt still on, cooler now than he had been before. He heaved a heavy sigh. Would those two ever see anything or anyone, beyond their nose?

* * *

Sorry to have taken so long, that was not my intention. My editor had kept it for so long. But here it is. I promise not to leave another cliff hanger like that for so long. Expect an update on that sort of thing within a week. As for an update in this, the next chapter is not yet ready so it will be December before there is another one.

I tired to delve into the Three Light's thoughts in this chapter, it'll set up a few things later so I wanted their thoughts to be clear. Seiya's inner thoughts were hard to write. I could have made it longer but that's boring! lol

Review Please!


	9. Chapter 8: Waiting

Chapter 8

Waiting

Yaten trudged into the classroom after his brothers. He flung his bag down, allowing it to thump loudly on the desk before laying his head against it. He had not slept a wink the previous night. Every time he closed his eyes he saw that giant whisk slam into Hikari, saw her crash into the fence, and her body fall towards the ground. What little time he had managed to keep his eyes closed, Yaten faced nightmares of missing Hikari, of watching her body break in the school courtyard. He quickly shook his head free of the image, glancing at her desk. He had stopped by the Infirmary before class, checking with Mrs. Yukimo to see if Hikari had made it home. She had assured him that Hikari was fine, no lasting damage, and that she had made it home safely. Yaten believed her however, not seeing Hikari at her desk, smiling with Makoto, or making jokes with Usagi, it did not seem real. He had to see her to be sure that she really was fine.

Usagi pulled Seiya out of the classroom, Minako and Makoto following.

"What is it, Odango?" Seiya asked, casually leaning against the wall. "Don't tell me you've fallen for me?" He teased, grinning rakishly. Usagi's quick temper was about to let off a retort when Minako's hand slammed on her mouth.

"No, we wanted to ask you about Yaten. He's acting weird." Minako said, glancing at the classroom door.

Seiya sighed. "No, he's fine. I just think he's a little worried about Hikari."

Minako nodded understandingly. "Yeah, we all are but he just seems a little more, I don't know, concerned about it."

"Don't be so worried!" Seiya said, thumping Minako on the back, dislodging Usagi who was still being held by her. "It probably has to do with how close it came." He whispered. "I don't think he slept. Don't mention it to him. Let him deal with it, ok?" The girls quietly agreed.

The school bell rang, signaling the start of class. They rushed in and took their seats, waiting for their teacher to come in and call roll. Makoto glanced at the empty seat behind her. Hikari had not arrived. Nor did she arrive later, or before lunch, or after lunch. It agitated Makoto and the others. Makoto and Usagi had caught each other glancing at the empty seat while Minako had taken a tally on the corner of her notes on how often Yaten had looked at it (32 times had been the last total). Seiya and Taiki were better at concealing it but they had been looking as well. They were not the only ones to notice either. Nearly all of their classmates had been doing the same. Some had even boldly asked their teacher where she was. In response, their teacher only said that she would not be in that day. Usagi faked a stomachache after lunch and asked to go to the Infirmary. Mrs. Yukimo had indulged her and pretended to care for her while Usagi peppered her with questions about Hikari's condition. Returning to the classroom less than an hour later, she dropped a note on Minako's, and Seiya's desks, having them pass on the information that Hikari had been fine last night. Information that Yaten already knew, but did not ease his mind.

* * *

Yaten argued with Taiki for nearly an hour on their way home as they wondered through the shopping district. "Please? We can just drop by with her homework or something to check to see that she is ok."

"I already told you, I checked with the office. Her homework is being picked up by her manager." Taiki insisted, rubbing his temple in agitation. "We have no excuse for going over there. We can't be seen doing anything that might damage our reputation. Why can't you just call her?"

"I've tried! There's no answer." Yaten retorted. "What if something happened to her because of yesterday?"

"But didn't you check her over _before_ we took her to the infirmary?" Taiki asked.

Yaten looked away. "Yes, and nothing was wrong then but I can't be sure." He muttered.

"Can't be sure why?"

"I was already so tired from the fight that I feel like I may have over looked something. Like a fracture or internal injury." Yaten said, looking up at Taiki. "If I missed something, I have to know! It would be _my_ fault for not noticing it!"

"That doesn't mean you should react rashly! Showing up on her doorstep, being seen there, it could start rumors and bad press. We don't need that! We can't afford to do damage control!" Taiki argued.

"But,"

Seiya was getting tired of the circular conversation. "Yaten, how about we call her manager. Say that she left something or has something of ours and we were wondering when she would be back in school. Ok?"

Yaten stopped and glared at Seiya, "And how do we get her manger's number?"

Taiki pulled out his planner. Reaching into the billfold part in the back, he pulled out a business card. "I have it. It is a very professional thing to do. Ask for the manger's card, in case you should want to do business in the future."

Yaten whooped and yanked the card from Taiki, racing to the nearest pay phone along the busy sidewalk. He slammed the door closed and quickly dialed the number. Taiki and Seiya stood outside, watching with interest at the exchange. Yaten was changing facial expressions rapidly. His appearance went from nonchalant to worried, then to happy, then to worry again. He turned his back to his brothers, his shoulders sagging. He hung up the phone and slowly left the booth.

"Well?" Seiya asked. "What did she say?"

Yaten sighed, "She said that she couldn't be sure when Hikari would be back in school but she would tell her my message."

"So, she gave you a round about answer. Not confirming she was ok, but also not saying that she was hurt. Good manager." Taiki said, snatching his card back. "We will just have to wait till tomorrow. In the meantime, we have some studio time tonight. We should grab an early dinner and head over there."

Seiya folded his hands behind his head, "Can we have western food?" He asked following beside Taiki. Yaten grumbled that they had western food last night and he wanted okonomiyaki.

* * *

Usagi flopped on her bed, freshly showered and clean. She snuggled under her covers but before she could drift off, Luna jumped on her stomach.

"Usagi, you can't sleep yet." She said, pawing her ward's face. "You did not answer any of my questions before your bath."

Usagi batted Luna's paw away, sitting up. She held Luna up eye level, "Luna, it has been a long day, can't you wait till morning."

"No, you always over sleep. Now, tell me, were there any incidents today in school like the one yesterday?"

Usagi set Luna down. "No, Luna, nothing happened today. But, Hikari didn't show up to school either."

"Hikari? Your Pop Idol friend that was caught in the fight yesterday?" Luna asked, "Is she alright?"

Usagi shook her head, "The nurse said she was fine yesterday but no one could tell us anything other than she would not be in school today." Usagi flopped back on the bed. "I don't have her address so I can't go visit her. I really hope she's ok."

Luna padded over to Usagi's head and nudged it with her own. "It'll be ok, Usagi. I'm sure that if the nurse thought that she would be fine on her own then she will be. She may be busy with her career at the moment that she has to miss a few days of school."

Usagi nodded, "Yeah, you're probably right. Thanks, Luna!" She grinned, pecking the cat on her head before she rolled over, tucking deeper under the bedcovers. Luna curled up beside her head, following her into sleep.

* * *

The next few days followed the same pattern. Hikari did not show up at school; their teachers gave them no explanation about her whereabouts. Mrs. Yukimo told them repeatedly that Hikari was perfectly all right and if another one of them came to the infirmary with a fake illness, she would have them admitted to the hospital for a mental evaluation. The Three Lights called the manager on a daily basis but were given the same answer, nothing. The girls, at their wits end, enlisted Rei's help in locating Hikari to see if she was okay. Rei spent an entire night in front of the fire but could discern nothing more than she was not in Crossroads. Hikari's presence could not be found in their city anywhere. Disheartened, the girls stared forlornly at Hikari's school desk; waiting for the occupant's return.

On the fourth day, the Three Lights barred the roof door and took their lunch there, enjoying the solitude. However, instead of the three of them gathered in one spot discussing their itinerary or music, they were spread far apart, each lost to their own thoughts.

Yaten stood at the newly repaired fence, his hand clutching the metal, his eyes unfocused. Seiya was leaning against the walled square that housed the door to the roof, his own stare quiet and soft. Taiki had found an outlet to plug his laptop in to and was busy typing away at it, gazing intently at the screen.

"Is there a better way to find her?" Seiya asked no one in particular.

"Which 'her' are you referring to?" Taiki queried.

"Hikari." Seiya mumbled. Yaten shifted, his eyes darting to Taiki, then back to the horizon.

"No." Taiki answered, not bothering to look up from his computer. "And we shouldn't focus our precious time on her."

"Shut up, Taiki." Yaten hissed. "She got involved. We should at least make sure she is okay."

"Yaten, Mrs. Yukimo said that she was healthy. I even hacked into the health records here at school at _your_ request. Hikari. Is. Fine." Taiki gritted through his teeth.

"You don't understand." Yaten muttered, sliding down the fence, turning his back to it. "You can't understand."

"Understand?" Taiki repeated, still tapping away at his computer. "I guess you're right, I don't nor do I care to. We shouldn't try to find Hikari; we should be trying to find our princess."

Seiya moved away from his wall. "I would think it would be easier to find a human than our Princess. If we couldn't find Hikari then. . ." Seiya trailed off, leaving his ominous thought unfinished.

Yaten glared at him through his silver bangs, "Bite your tongue." He growled, his temper on a short tether. Seiya looked appropriately ashamed and changed the subject.

"Taiki, " He strolled over to his brother, peering over his shoulder. "What are you working on that is so urgent you have to do it on your break?"

Taiki, suddenly flustered, tried to block the laptop screen with his hands. "Nothing. Don't worry. It's nothing important."

Yaten's head popped up. "What's with you?"

Taiki vigorously shook his head, "Nothing, Nothing is wrong."

"Then why have you got that nervous look?" Seiya asked, poking a finger in his face. "What are you doing?"

Taiki pulled further away from his brother, holding his laptop in a tight grip. "I said its nothing."

Seiya looked at Yaten, an evil grin crossing his face, his brother mirroring the awful look. Suddenly the two lunged at Taiki, Seiya wrestled with him, attempting to separate him from the laptop while Yaten worked on the other end trying to pry it from Taiki's grip. After knocking heads a few times, with elbows jabbing ribs and stomachs, Yaten shouted his success, tearing the laptop from his brother just as Seiya got a good arm lock on him. Taiki shouted for Yaten to put it down, his mortification evident on his red cheeks. Yaten's cheerful face crumbled when he saw the computer's released Taiki from the arm lock; his brother falling to the ground from the sudden movement. Seiya jumped over him and to Yaten's side, peering over his shoulder at the computer screen.

On the screen were two windows, one was a chat page for Hoshiko's fan club and the other were statistics and names, clearly hacked, of everyone who had left the country within the last week. "Hypocrite." Yaten muttered, giving the computer back to his brother. "Why do you hide it?"

Taiki shut his laptop off and set it down. "I'm no different but I was trying to keep at least one of us focused. I just wanted to see if she was still around. I can't explain why."

Yaten squatted next to him. "Lying to us, to yourself, trying to be self-righteous? Cut it out, Taiki!" He shouted angrily.

Seiya laid a comforting hand on Yaten's shoulder. "You know what we have to do now, right?"

Taiki muttered to himself. Yaten shook his head. "We'll need to go to her place. We can't let our reputations cloud what's important. This is distracting us. If we can get answers to put us at ease then we can get back on task." Seiya explained.

Yaten stood again, shooting a speculative look at Seiya, "I don't wanna hear that from you but you're right. Taiki?"

Taiki nodded. "Yes. We'll go tomorrow. We'll skip school and go then. Anyone who will matter will be busy. We shouldn't be noticed if we go before noon."

* * *

"Usagi, that isn't how that is spelled. You used the wrong character for it." Ami admonished her friend gently. Usagi furiously scratched her head, biting her pencil.

"Ami, this is hard!" She whined. Minako nodded her agreement from the other side of Usagi.

"That's why we are taking the extra time to look at it so you can do better on the make up exam at the end of next week." Ami reminded the girls.

The girls had met at Rei's house to have a study session, gathering in Rei's bedroom as they used to when they were studying for the entrance exams. Usagi and Minako had failed their recent Kanji exam and would have to do a make up. Since Taiki could not help them, much to their disappointment, they resorted to their former habit of asking Ami for help.

"Snack time!" Makoto called as she and Rei came into the room each laden with a tray, one with a delicious strawberry cake and the other with a teapot and several cups. With a loud cheer, they cleared the table for their snack.

Munching away, the girls chatted excitedly. Ami was preparing for a flash card quiz after the break that had Usagi and Minako glaring at her. Makoto was chatting with Rei about a new lucky charm that she wanted to buy from Rei's temple before she left. The phone in the hallway suddenly rang. Rei excused herself to answer it, promising Makoto she could buy the charm when they were done eating.

"Hello, Hino Residence." Rei said into the phone.

"Rei, its Michiru. Is Usagi with you?" The older woman's voice came over the line.

"Michiru! It's good to hear from you! Yes, Usagi is here." Rei answered. "The little twerp failed a test so she's here cramming for the make up. Do you want me to put her on?"

"Yes, please."

"Michiru! Give me the phone!" Rei heard someone from the other side of the line call out. "Please? I wanna talk to Usagi!"

Rei stood on the line a moment longer, hearing Michiru scold the person for being rude. It took her a moment longer before she recognized the other voice as Hotaru. Covering the receiver, she called Usagi out into the hall. "Usagi, its Michiru. She wants to talk to you and I think so does Hotaru." She smiled

Usagi seemed puzzled. "What's wrong?" Rei shook her head.

"They didn't say." She passed the phone to Usagi and went back into her room to give her some privacy.

"Hello?" Usagi said. "Michiru?"

"Usagi! You sound well. How are you?" Came Michiru's reply. "Ask her! Ask her!" Usagi could hear the small Senshi shouting from the other end. "Yes, dear, just a moment. Usagi," Michiru returned her attention to the phone. "Hotaru would like to know if Hikari is alright? We heard something about her health," Michiru's voice faded from Usagi's mind. No longer paying any attention to Michiru's words, Usagi was transported back to when she saw Hikari go flying over the roof, how close she had been to her death. Usagi gripped the phone tight to keep herself calm. She shook her head. Hikari was fine. Mrs. Yukimo had said as much. She did not have any broken bones or internal injuries. Hikari was probably busy with her Idol career that she forgot to contact them: as Luna said. _There was no need to worry_, Usagi mentally berated herself.

"Usagi? Usagi? Usagi? Can you hear me? Usagi!" Michiru yelled over the phone line, concern edging into her voice.

Usagi was shaken from her thoughts, "Oh, I'm sorry Michiru. I was thinking about, never mind. What was it you were asking about Hikari?"

"Usagi!" Michiru scolded. "I had asked if she has been at school. Hotaru says that she hasn't heard anything recent about her which is unusual. She wanted to see if she was ok."

Usagi took a deep breath. "Actually Michiru, something did happen." Usagi related the story of what happened on the rooftop, doing her best to keep from mentioning too much about the Starlights despite how much they had helped in the fight. Regardless of their aid, Michiru would probably tell Haruka and they would reprimand Usagi about being around them and putting herself in danger. Usagi did not leave out Hikari falling from the roof and being caught by Star Healer. It would not be fair to lie about something so important. "And we haven't heard from her since. Her manager comes to pick up her homework. Luna suspects that she's busy with work and just hasn't contacted us. We can't find her so we're hoping that it's just that."

There was a long pause. "I see." Was all Michiru said.

"Michiru," Usagi hesitated. "Uh, do you think that she could have been hurt in another way? That something has happened to her since then?"

Michiru's tone took an immediate shift from quiet and thoughtful to peppy and cheerful. "Of course not! If that had happened then the news would know and the record company would put out a message asking for prayers for her recovery. No, Luna is right. She is fine. Don't worry. Thank you for telling me all of that, Usagi. We'll see you later. Bye!" Usagi said "Bye." And hung up, pausing to stare at the phone.

She shook her head. "She's right. It'll be ok!"

* * *

Michiru waited to hear Usagi hang up before she set her phone down. She quietly relayed the information to Hotaru, assuring the young girl that Hikari was fine and she should not worry about it. She patted her softly on the head as she walked out of the room, heading to her own. She closed the door and went straight for the double French doors that led to the balcony that she and Haruka shared. Haruka's room was right next to hers and the balcony spread across the entire floor. She and Haruka spend many mornings eating at their small table out there and many nights curled up, watching the stars.

Michiru leaned on the waist high cement railing. Hikari had been in danger. Their enemy, Galaxia, had placed yet another innocent in the way. It was fortunate that the Starlights had been there. She loathed admitting that but it was the truth. Michiru tried to recall that day, when had Usagi said it was? Monday? Monday Michiru had taken Haruka to a new art exhibit downtown that featured one of her more recent oil paintings. There, right next to her work was a flowery painting with a little girl running through a field of yellow tulips. The artist was Hikari's mom. The subject had been Hikari as a little girl when her mom had taken her to Holland on a trip. It was only the back of the little girl but it was hard to mistake her for anyone else. She and Haruka had stood in front of the painting for nearly an hour. Haruka had said that it was the best painting of flowers she had ever seen. Michiru took no offense to it, as her subject was usually the ocean or some body of water. Each fine detail in Hikari's mother's painting had been maintained. You could almost hear the young girl's laughter or smell the beautiful bright flowers. She and Haruka did not speak much about the painting aside from Haruka's comment and Michiru's agreement. It had touched them both in such a way that words were not needed.

It was then, shortly after they had turned from the painting that Michiru's heart jumped into her throat. She had felt a wave of panic and fear that was palpable. She gripped Haruka's arm tighter and could feel how tense her partner was. When she looked at her, Haruka wore a similar expression to what Michiru had been feeling. Just as quickly as the feeling had washed up on them, it vanished and they were both left wondering what had happened.

With the new information that Usagi has passed on to her, Michiru still could not ascertain what the feeling was caused by. It could have been Usagi's own fear, though Michiru did not think that was the case. If what she suspected was true, then what did it mean? Could there be some connection to what she and her partner had felt and those events? Hotaru and Setsuna had not complained of any pains, not that day or since then. What could it mean? Should she and Haruka tell the others or would that make them worry?

"Perhaps it would be best to keep this to myself for now." Michiru said decidedly.

* * *

I'm sorry this took so long to get out! But when I'm done writing it goes through editing about 3-4 times before I publish it. That is what takes the most time! The next chapter is written and going through its first editing. I'll push it harder to get it to you! I like that chapter very very very much!

Please Review! ^^


	10. Chapter 9: Roommate

Its finally here! Took long enough! I know, sorry about that but I do work in a retail environment and the last few months have be hetic! But here's some good news, the next chapter is nearly done, should be out in a couple weeks, this time I promise! And Ch 11 is being written and nearly finished! That should be out in a month and a half or less, I would hope. However, the portion following that has gone missing so now I have to start from scratch. Boo! But soon its all gonna come to a head! Should be an exciting ride!

Please don't forget to review!

Chapter 9

Roommate

The Three Lights, despite their determination to settle their unresolved feelings over the disappearance of their rival, were unable to visit Hikari's residence the following day as they had hoped. Their manager reminded them about a radio broadcast after school and on the following day, they were in the studio, recording their new album. When they returned to school on Monday, it seemed that their situation would only get worse. The information about their new album had been leaked and there were reporters and cameramen outside the school gate and as the days continued, more would show up.

Yaten raced around a corner, nearly ten blocks from school, his brothers in hot pursuit. "Why won't they just leave us alone and wait till next month to ask about it?" He huffed.

Seiya ran up next to him. "I don't know but I say the hell with it and let's just jump up on a roof top and lose them that way!"

"Ok!" Taiki agreed. "Around the next corner will be a two story shop that is closed in the afternoon. We can escape there. There are trees surrounding it so we won't be seen." Taiki informed them. "In the meantime, run faster!" He suggested, over taking the two.

Sliding around the corner behind them came a mob of twenty or more reporters holding microphones and high-end cameras. Seiya risked a glance back at them. "Aie! There's so many!" He did a quick tally in his head. "They look about thirty yards behind us. Is that enough time?"

Taiki nodded. "Just keep this current pace."

Rounding the corner, following Taiki, the three of them jumped mid stride, using their supernatural abilities, they landed gracefully on the rooftop and quickly dashed behind the foliage. They could hear the reporters' confusion at their sudden disappearance, many of them insisting they had gone into nearby shops and began scouring them. Yaten peered through the trees, watching as the last of the reporters left a shop glancing left and right but not up. He chuckled. "They really don't have a clue."

"Are they gone?" Seiya asked.

"The last one is just now leaving."

"Taiki, how should we get down?" Seiya looked over his shoulder to his brother who was looking around on the other side of the building.

"I say we jump down into this alley and go the back way around the shops. We'll hit the main market and can lose anyone else that might start to tail us in the crowd."

The other two agreed and followed his instructions. A short time later, they managed to arrive home without being followed.

Taiki slammed the door shut, locking it before he collapsed onto the sofa in the living room. Yaten and Seiya were already in the kitchen scouring it for cold drinks. Seiya fell onto the cushions next to his brother, passing him a water bottle.

"I don't know how much more we can take of this!" Seiya sighed, exasperated. "We can't get a moment alone! How are we going to sneak out to Hikari's without being seen?"

Taiki propped his elbows up on his knees. "I'm not sure. We need to find a time when they aren't watching us to get away."

Yaten collapsed on the floor, leaning his back against the chair. "Perhaps at school?"

Seiya frowned. "But they're always waiting for us at the gate. How are we supposed to get away unnoticed?"

"True, but are they there all day? They aren't allowed inside the school gate. Do they stand out there all day or do they come near the end of the school day to wait for us?" Yaten pointed out, grinning.

"That's right." Taiki agreed. "If they aren't waiting out there all day then we can leave before or after lunch without being seen."

Seiya smiled broadly. "That just might work!"

"Ok. Tomorrow we'll keep watch from the school to see what the reporters do, how long they're there, and if we see a chance to leave, we'll go." Taiki said. "Though, we should pack some different clothes. What we are doing is nothing short of skipping school to go visit a friend. If we look somewhat professional, then no one will question that we were released for official business, but that's a contingency plan if we're seen. It would be best if we avoided contact with anyone." Yaten and Seiya nodded their agreement. The three of them sat huddled around their coffee table for the next few hours, going over each potential "escape" route they could find that would keep them out of the public eye as much as possible and take them to Hikari's apartment tower.

* * *

Hotaru stood outside _Crown's_ tapping her school bag against her leg. She glanced down the street, then down the other side, searching for any sign of her friends. Michiru did not say much to her the day before after she got off the phone with Usagi. All she told Hotaru was that Hikari had been involved in a Senshi fight and had taken leave from school to rest; that she, Hikari, was all right. Hotaru did not ask Michiru for more information. The look on her surrogate mother's face told her that asking for more was asking for trouble. Hotaru had refrained from interrogating Michiru, but that did not mean that Usagi was free from more questions.

If the fight had been at school, then the Three Lights were most likely involved. However, Michiru did not mention any specifics and that was what Hotaru needed. She knew that if she just had a little more information then the puzzle that she had been trying to put together since that night nearly two months ago would fall into place. There is just a little more to find and Hotaru was willing to bet Saturn's scythe that Hikari held a piece, the key. There was something that Hikari had that Hotaru needed to see, needed to know and that could be the final part to finishing the puzzle. Hotaru laughed lightly to herself, if only she knew what that final piece was!

The more she thought about it, the more confused she became. She could not attribute her or Haruka's dreams two months ago to any one event. Usagi's vision at the concert was deemed not to have come from Hoshiko. Then what happened during that fight? Michiru did not need to tell Hotaru when the fight had occurred, she knew it was that Monday afternoon. Setsuna also knew that something had happened. Hotaru had collapsed at school. It was during lunch that Hotaru's homeroom teacher had carried her into the infirmary at school, explaining to Setsuna that Hotaru had collapsed with no apparent cause! Setsuna, the school nurse, led the teacher outside assuring her that Hotaru would be fine. She had woken up nearly an hour later, shaking and scared. Hotaru explained that she had a sudden sensation of falling and fear, a panic, had gripped her heart so tight that she could not breathe and her world went dark. Next Hotaru knew she was with Setsuna. Setsuna had tried to assure Hotaru that she was all right but Hotaru insisted that something had to be wrong with her and that was when Setsuna explained that she had felt a similar fear right before the teacher had brought her in. However, Setsuna thought that the feeling had come from Hotaru when she saw her being carried in. She had thought that something had happened to scare her but upon hearing Hotaru's story she changed her opinion. Setsuna said that perhaps one of the other girls, Usagi maybe, was in danger. However, Setsuna had not felt anything since. She also did not hear from Haruka or Michiru about it. It would not be out of character for them to call her when a fight started or if they had a bad feeling. Since they had taken Hotaru in, the three adults had become very dependant on each other. Nevertheless, as Setsuna thought, neither of those has happened. It could be an isolated case with just her and Hotaru. Despite Setsuna's words, Hotaru asked her to keep this from Haruka and Michiru. She did not want them to worry about her or Usagi if there was nothing wrong. They would wait and see if anything would come of that bizarre situation.

After Michiru's conversation with Usagi the other night, Hotaru knew that she needed to confirm what had happened that afternoon. It may not do much to help her but she would not know unless she asked. She needed to see if it was something during that battle that could have triggered her senses.

"Hotaru?"

The young girl's head snapped up. She had been so lost in her quiet musings that Minako, Ami, Makoto and Rei had managed to get right next to her without her knowledge. _Hotaru! Pay attention!_ She berated herself.

"Hotaru?" Rei called to her again.

"I'm sorry! Hi! How are you guys?" Hotaru finally responded, pushing herself off the wall she had been leaning on.

"Good, how about yourself? Were you looking for us?" Rei asked. "You don't normally come here."

Hotaru nodded. "I was looking for Usagi. Is she not with you today?"

"No, she had to go home to help her mom." Makoto explained. "Her mom needed a hand with the cleaning. Is there something important you needed to ask her? I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you dropped in on her at home." She smiled.

Hotaru thought a moment. "Hmm, not really, I mean you guys were there too, right?" The girls looked at her in confusion. "The fight that involved Hikari, I want to hear about it." She stated resolutely.

The four girls glanced at each other, silently deciding if they should tell Hotaru exactly what had occurred.

"Ok, Hotaru." Ami said. "Why don't we go inside and we'll fill you in."

* * *

It was a quiet evening at the house of the Three Lights. Seiya had gone out for a jog. Yaten was locked in his room and though Taiki did not know what he was doing, the light humming he could hear from the other side of the door suggested he was listening to music on his headphones, and it was Hoshiko's music at that. Taiki allowed a small smile as he carried his notebook that he wrote his poetry in to their backyard patio. Though it countered their mission to find their princess, Yaten liking a rival was a good thing. It was something that had never happened on their home planet. Yaten acknowledging that anyone was as good as or better than him was unheard of. The only ones allowed that honor were his brothers. The way Taiki viewed this new development was that Yaten's world was expanding. It meant his little brother; the youngest of the three, was growing up or to be more precise, was maturing beyond adolescence.

Taiki opened the glass doors to their patio and sat at the wicker table set they had out there. Though they lived in a townhouse apartment, the term itself is loosely applied. They lived in a house that happened to be in a community of similar houses that called themselves apartments. It was in an upper class part of town, though not in the wealthiest neighborhood. The last thing the three of them needed was nosy neighbors. That was why they chose the townhouse that was completely surrounded by trees. They needed privacy.

Taiki shook his foot as he worked on a rhyme for his new poem. The night air felt cool with the nice slow breeze that would rustle the leaves of the surrounding trees. Taiki has always been an admirer of nature. He loved walking around in beautiful gardens, learning about the different plants that grew there. It was the same with local parks as well. Even the sound of laughing children playing was all a part of nature to him. It was the frequent topic to his poetry as well. It was one reason why he liked sitting outside, where he could hear, smell, see, and feel nature around him. True, he was still in a city, but he had to appreciate what little he could find. Taiki would be the type of person that would sit by a windowsill garden if he had no yard.

Though his affection of nature was nothing new, as there were many beautiful gardens on his home planet especially around the palace, his love of poetry and the written arts were not a big part of his previous life. His planet did not encourage nor had many artists of the written word. Scholars were plenty, as were books, but not poetry or fanciful stories. They wrote of truth and fact. It was not that fiction and pose were looked down on, it simply was not something many had a gift for there. However, here on Earth, there were many many famous poets, spanning across the globe. They were adored and emulated by many of the inhabitants of this planet. When Taiki arrived, he bought many books on poetry and would sit up for hours, absorbing the words. He especially liked the works from Blake, Shakespeare, and Frost. He soon began composing more and more of his own original work. It was not something he could do that often back home. His Princess did try to encourage him in his writing, often speaking of a relative who was very good with composing lyrical poems that the cousin would then send to her. It was for her, his Princess, that Taiki would write his few poems for, always trying his best to make each one perfect. Every time he would watch her read one, she would have the strangest look in her eyes. It was as though she was looking beyond his words to something much deeper. Taiki had always wondered about that look. He had been deeply concerned about it the first few times in had happened, that perhaps she did not like his poem. That was, until he had overheard his Princess sharing one of his works with a palace official or a close friend of her's. It was in those moments that he knew she had liked what he had written but it still did not explain her curious expression. Still, he wrote more for her. _Once I find her, I will continue to write more poems for her ears only._ Taiki determined. Taiki felt a small smile cross his lips.

* * *

Hotaru could not believe it. She simply could not believe it! Hikari had been involved in such a dangerous fight! All to save a classmate she barely knew, in a fight she could never hope to win! It was a very good thing that Makoto and the others had been there to help her; that the enemy had chosen that time to attack. It was very fortunate. What was not so fortunate was Hikari's role in the fight, being made into a target by the enemy. When Ami related how Hikari had nearly fallen from the roof and how Star Healer had rushed to save her, Hotaru thought she could not breathe. In fact, she had probably stopped breathing all together.

Ami had explained: "When Star Fighter moved out of the way, Usagi as well, it was only then we saw what the Phage had really targeted. It was our fault for not getting them off the roof sooner. The Phage knew that if she attacked them then our focus would shift to defense and she could have done some serious damage that way. Star Healer was the first one to make it there. It was strange though. Star Healer had been next to me, on the opposite side of where the whisk had been thrown, but she was the first to catch Hikari. It seemed as though her speed had doubled. She even beat Star Fighter who was the next to arrive and help pull her up. If it had not been for those two, Hikari may have fallen to her death. But we can't know what might have happened, only what did. . ."

The Starlights had played such a pivotal part in the fight that Hotaru could not view them the same anymore. It no longer mattered what they said about not wanting to get involved in the war here on earth, or that they hated Sailor Moon. They had saved a native of this planet. They had put their life on the line for one of them. The three of them could not remain so detached for much longer. Hotaru sighed. If only they would share with the Senshi as to what their mission was. They knew that they fought against Galaxia but aside from that, they treated them, the Senshi, as the enemy. Well, almost all of them. Seiya, Star Fighter, seemed to be the one that did not view them as pawns to be played while his mission was seen to. He seemed to genuinely care for others; friends that he had made since his arrival were dear to him despite that they were not from his planet. However, the playing field was changing and the other two were slowly caring more and more for the people around them. Hotaru was seeing glimpses of what they must have been like before. That was what she thought, in any case. Something must have happened to them to make them appear so very cold and cool outside. A façade they lifted to block something out. Whatever it had been, it must have devastated them.

_Speak of the devil._ Hotaru thought to herself. She had been on her way home from speaking with the girls, walking along a sidewalk near a park. Her thoughts must have called out to him because just as she was reaching the park entrance, out comes Seiya. He was dressed in a set of sweats; his breathing a bit labored. Hotaru surmised he must have been out jogging or some other form of exercise. She came to halt not ten feet from him, looking up at him with a curious expression. She _must_ have conjured him with her thoughts, he should have seen her by now, there is no way he could be a fighter, a Senshi, and not have sensed the only other person on the street. Her answer came when he turned in her direction and jumped a foot in the air. His surprised yelp sounded really funny, so funny that Hotaru tried to hide her giggle behind her hand. She was unsuccessful. Her laughter rang out, loud and uproariously. She clutched her side, trying to settle herself back down. To think he could be scared so easily was truly comical.

Seiya stood in the same spot as when he had turned around. The little girl in front of him was laughing so boisterously that he was afraid she would attract attention. He did not need to deal with the paparazzi at this time of night! Not after he had managed to slip out of his place for a quick jog. He tried waving his hands to get her attention, motioning her that she needed to be quiet but she only continued to laugh harder. Seiya could not figure out what was so funny. Yes, she had surprised him, but how would that result in her howls of laughter?

"Please quiet down. I don't want to be seen right now. Please?" He tried pleading with the girl. She seemed to hear him and understand. It was only then when she lifted her face that he knew who she was. Her outburst suddenly made sense. She had snuck up on him, Seiya, Sailor Star Fighter, a Senshi. He mentally slapped himself for allowing her to get so close with him being unaware.

"You are Hotaru, correct?" He asked. She straightened herself and nodded.

"Yes. I was just on my way home from visiting the girls." She said.

Seiya visibly tensed. This was one of the other Senshi, the Outer; he thought they might have been called. He had never seen her fight, but he did not doubt that she could stand her own ground as well as the others. He hoped that since he was not in the presence of the other girls, Usagi in particular (he had been banned from meeting with her by the other two older Senshi) that he could avoid a fight.

His thoughts must have shown in his eyes, "I won't fight you. There is no need." She consoled him, tilting her head to the side as though examining him. Seiya looked into her violet eyes, sensing a wisdom that belied her years. "But I do have something to ask you and something to say." She informed him.

Seiya nodded, "I will answer it if I can." He assured her.

"It's nothing personal really. I was only curious if what they told me was correct from where you stand. Did you and your brother, Star Healer, save Hikari Aso from falling from the roof of the school?" She asked point blank.

Seiya was taken aback. "How - how did you know about that?"

"I just told you I was visiting the girls. They told me." She said, primly. "I had to ask direct questions but they told me the whole story, or at least from their side." She told him. "I just wanted to hear your thoughts about it seeing as you are different from the other two."

"The other two? You are referring to Taiki and Yaten?" Hotaru nodded. Seiya paused to think about his response. It seemed that this younger Senshi would not to be fooled by flowery words or over the top declarations. She possessed something the others did not and it was not her bold and frank way of speaking; the others had been very plain spoken when forbidding his interaction with Usagi. Hotaru had an intrinsic wisdom, a deeper thought, than the others. She appeared to not care much for the surface story but rather preferred to look at a much larger picture and made her own decisions based on that. If Seiya said the right thing, he could have an ally in the little girl. Hotaru's companions did not care for him but if just one of them did not outright hate him, he might have a chance at settling their tempers so they would not put so much pressure on Usagi to stay away from him.

However, there was more to Hotaru than what was on the surface. She appeared young and perhaps was in fact her age but there was a great strength beneath that. She was one the Senshi of this Solar System but Seiya could not remember ever seeing her fight. He had seen her on more than one occasion with the others but had dismissed her. Now that she stood in front of him, alone, he could sense a monstrous power in her; but if that were the case, why had she not fought before? Could it be that her guardians did not want her to or were his senses wrong and she did not have much power to begin with? Regardless, if she were to trust him, to see even a little good in him and his brothers, it could only benefit them. Thinking about her fighting strength was unnecessary at the moment. Seiya would worry about that later.

"Yes. We did. Yaten had come running to us, explaining that he had heard a fight on the roof, exactly where Hikari had gone. I'm not really sure why he came to us since it is not in his nature to care about other people he does not know well. Even now, after all is said and done, that fact that he has not seen her since that incident has been bugging him and distracting us all." _Shoot! What am I saying?_ Seiya thought belatedly, stopping just short of slapping his hand over his big mouth. He should not have revealed so much of his brother! She did not need to know that! Seiya glanced down at the girl watching as her eyes widened a fraction.

"It does seem a bit uncharacteristic of him, from what I have been told." She quietly agreed.

Seiya took a deep breath. Perhaps the little one had not caught onto his words. He might have been saved by her innocence, no matter what "wisdom" her eyes held; she was still a young girl.

"Now for my comment." She shook him from his thoughts. She made a formal bow, keeping her head down. "I thank you and your brothers for being there to help the girls and to save Hikari. They are all very important to me and I do not know what I would do if something happened to any of them."

Seiya nodded, allowing a small smile, "I'm glad we were there." He said, patting the girl on her head. She brought herself up and smiled brightly.

"I know now what you are." She stated. Seiya felt a jolt run through him. "I understand now. I hope that you will take care of yourself and please do help my Princess when ever you can." She asked, bowing lightly this time, she stepped around him continuing home.

"Wait!" He called, remembering himself. "What does that mean? Who are you?' He asked. "I know each of you have your own ability. What is yours?" Hotaru paused, looking at him over her shoulder. "I heard the other three claims they are the Senshi of the Wind, or Embrace or Revolution, but what are you? I answered your question so please answer mine." He said seriously, his eyes narrowing.

Hotaru turned partly around and pinned him with a sad smile. "Mine? It is Destruction. I am the Senshi of Silence." She said and turned to continue on her way.

Seiya stood there, rooted to the ground. The feeling he had sensed before had been correct. She was very different from the others. She might be the most powerful of them all aside from Usagi, who was clearly their leader. It could be for that reason that she had not fought in any battle he knew of. If she really was the one with the power of Destruction, if she was as powerful as he believed, as he had sensed, then it would not be contained to her battleground but it would spread, perhaps encompassing the whole world. Seiya fell against the stone wall surrounding the park, unable to stand.

"Someone like that - with them?" He gasped. "And one so young! Who are the Senshi of this System?"

* * *

The white building towered over them as they stood at its main entrance on the ground floor. Dressed in their suits, Seiya, Taiki and Yaten braced themselves for entering the complex. They had managed their escape from school fairly well. The paparazzi did as Yaten had expected; they left nearly an hour after school had started and did not return during the lunch hour. It was near the end of their lunch period that they changed from their uniform and slipped out of school over the west wall. They took all the back alleys, occasionally having to alight to the rooftops to avoid being seen. Now that they stood outside the apartment building that Hoshiko lived in, they knew they would have to use their supernatural abilities to avoid the residents and staff. They were still superstars and with their noticeably long hair, that would not fit under a wig no matter how they tried, they would be spotted if they stopped for even a moment.

They were hiding behind the apartment's sign, in the bushes; Yaten was visibly displeased to be in the foliage. They had to go over their plan. The Intel they had gathered nearly a week previous told them that her apartment was on the eleventh floor of the twenty-one story building. If they took the stairs near the public elevators instead of the ones near the service lifts, they could avoid more people, possibly everyone.

They waited, watching just over the sign for when the doorman opened the door for a very posh dressed woman. Taiki counted the time it took for the doorman to open, for the woman to arrive and pass through and the time till the door closed back. As the wind was very calm that day, they would have to dash through the door while it was opened. If they ripped through a door that was closed, it would be possible to go back on the security cameras and see them. That would rouse a whole new round of questions they would prefer to be left alone. Taiki closely examined the next three people to enter the building.

"The best shot is to enter before they do. The doorman opens it about five seconds before they get there." Taiki informed Seiya and Yaten. "The next person to get out, we wait till they are nearly to the door and then run. The doorman will have just opened it by the time the fastest of us gets there and the last of us will have passed before the person reaches the door. Run straight through the lobby and to the small alcove to the left of the elevators. Wait there. It is out of sight. We will pass through there carefully so no one hears the door should it make a sound. Ready?"

Seiya and Yaten gave a quick nod. They waited there another few moments before a portly, lavishly suited man exited his luxury car. Taiki gave the signal and Yaten raced ahead, Seiya on his heels and Taiki bringing up the rear.

The doorman held the gilded glass door open for the portly resident once he had shut his car door and was clambering up the small set of stairs. He felt a curious breeze blow by him, perhaps from the interior air conditioning. "Nice weather today, isn't it Mister Yukishiro?" He greeted the man.

Yaten was the first to arrive at the stairway entrance. A moment later, his two brothers joined him. After checking their surroundings, Yaten cautiously pushed the stairway door open just enough for him to slip inside. With a swift perusal of the corridor, he nodded the all clear and the three of them dashed up the stairs, taking no less than five steps at a time. Their footfalls should have echoed in the enclosed space however, they did not allow anything less than the tip of their feet to touch the ground, allowing silence to reign in the diminutive space.

Once at the correct floor and not at all out of breath, they marveled at their happy coincidence to not have met anyone on the way up. Taiki whispered that Hoshiko's place is on the opposite end of the hallway; however, this floor only has six apartments on it as they have rather large layouts. The likelihood of meeting any of the residents was nil. "Apartment number 1106." He said.

Yaten pushed the door open a crack to listen to the noise on the floor. When he heard nothing, he poked his head out. No one was, at present, in the large hallway. He counted the plaques that numbered the apartments and figuring that since 1102 was to his left, Hikari's place was the last on the left, past the elevators. He motioned where it was then they sprinted down the hall, their footsteps muffled by the plush ornate carpet. Outside the door, they straightened their appearance, checking to make certain that each other did not look as though they had run a mile. Once they were sure they looked well kept, Seiya rang the doorbell, stepping back to allow space between them and the door. He did not think that it would be a good idea to crowd Hikari since she would surely be surprised at their presence there.

The three of them could hear light footfalls on the other side of the door. A soft feminine voice that did not sound like Hikari at all, called from the interior of the apartment. "Yes? Who is it?"

Seiya threw a questioning look at Taiki, surprise shown clearly on his face. Taiki mouthed _roommate_ in response.

Yaten answered, ignoring the other two. "We are classmates of Aso. We came to see how she was since she hasn't been in school for nearly two weeks now. May we see her?" Yaten replied closely to the door so he would not have to yell.

"Just a moment!" The woman on the other side called. They could hear the sound of the bolt being undone. The door opened for just a moment, a chain preventing it from opening completely. A very high squeak could be heard and the door shut before they could see whom they were talking to. They looked to each other, curious on how to proceed. Did this roommate recognize them in that instant?

"Uh, Miss?" Seiya said into the door. "Hello?"

The sound of the chain being removed forced Seiya away from the door, waiting for its occupant to come out.

"I am sorry." The woman said as she opened the door. "Hikari is not here at the moment." The Three Lights took an involuntary step back at the sight of the woman, to be more precise, the _young_ woman. "I could tell her that you stopped by and she can call you. Does she have your number?"

The Three Lights openly gaped at the person in front of them. She was a head shorter than Seiya, with a very small, lithe, pale figure to match her quiet voice. She wore a simple light blue sundress that brought out the color in her long silver hair that she had spilling over one shoulder. Her gold eyes darted between each of the men standing just outside her doorway.

* * *

:}

Review please!


	11. Chapter 10: Neb

Please don't kill me for not getting this out like I said I would. I was on track for it but. . . my editor was having some private life issues so I didn't bug her for it then I just couldn't get back to it when she did get it to me. Sorry. Different note: this is the intro to Neb, the roomie. I hope you like her character. She was pretty fun to write an entire seen for and not some vague mentions with Hikari and you may even learn where Hikari has been. ^^

Please don't forget to review, it helps to know that people are reading this and liking it too!

Thank you

* * *

Chapter 10

Neb

The Three Lights seemed to be stuck in place. The person in front of them was unlike anyone they had seen since arriving on Earth. The silver sheen of her hair and the bright gold of her eyes was not a common feature of the people of Earth. It was not scarce on their planet; Yaten had silver hair too. However, she was the first person they had met since their arrival that had such an appearance. The ring of the elevator and the sudden pallor of the Three Lights' faces at the sound must have clued Hikari's roommate in on the secrecy of their trip. She politely invited them in and ushered them to the living room excusing herself to prepare some drinks.

The living room was very brightly lit. The large glass balcony doors and wide windows easily allowed a generous amount of sunlight to fill the apartment. Seiya and Yaten seated themselves on the posh white couch while Taiki took the equally white armchair. The living room was lavishly decorated in bright whites and silver with dark wood to compliment the lighter colors. The crystal chandelier, Seiya could glimpse in the dining room, went well with the glass china cabinet full of silver accent dishes and crystal goblets and decanter. The dining room table was topped with a crème colored tablecloth, the wood underneath appeared to be a dark cherry or perhaps oak. Glancing about the room he was in, Seiya could not help but wonder who had put such a stylish place together. The coffee table in front of them was glass on top with dark wood legs exquisitely craved. The crème colored walls held ornately framed prints and copies of famous works of art from Europe. The whole feel of the apartment was extravagant and did not appear to house a high school girl. Though, Seiya could see any girl imagining herself a princess in such outlandish surroundings. Seiya craned his head, peering down the hall where he saw a staircase with a dark wood railing. He privately wondered if Hikari's room was like the rest of the apartment or if it reflected her own personal tastes.

Taiki was looking along the wall across from them that housed a dark wood bookcase filled with classic authors, poets, and artistic books. He had already made a mental list of book titles that seemed interesting that he had yet to read from those on the shelves. Yaten was ignoring the interior design and the books that had his brothers' fascinated. His sharp green eyes were trying to search for any sign that Hikari had been home in the last few days; he saw only their shoes in the entryway, no extra slippers. He did not see her book bag, or any of her schoolbooks. It appeared nothing that personally belonged to Hikari was in immediate sight and that put Yaten on edge. _Why can't I find anything of her in __**her**__ apartment?_

"Here we are!" Hikari's roommate chirped, appearing from the kitchen carrying four large crystal glasses with a crystal pitcher on a silver tray into the living room. She sat the tray down on the coffee table, offering iced tea to each of them. After she had given them their glass, she sat on the other side of the table on the white love seat, slowly sipping her drink. She peered over the edge of her glass, eyeing each of them with a curious expression. Seiya noticed that she was sitting very properly, her back straight, her ankles linked and tucked back, and her knees together, holding her glass very gingerly despite the size of it; she clearly had a very extensive and expensive upbringing.

"So, is there something I can help you with?" She asked, perching her glass in her lap.

"Yes, we were wondering if Hikari was ok." Taiki asked, taking a small sip of his tea. "We know that she was involved in something at the school and was sent home with the nurse but we don't know what happened after that or her condition, Miss –" He trailed off expectantly.

"Oh! I did not introduce myself!" She cried, covering her face with a dainty hand. "I feel so silly. I am sorry. My name is Neb; I am a childhood friend of Hikari." She explained. "You three are the Three Lights, am I correct? I am very pleased to meet each of you. Hikari speaks of you often!" Neb smiled brightly at them, lightly tossing her hair over her shoulder.

Seiya politely returned her smile, extending his hand, shaking hers gently. "It is nice to meet you. I am Seiya Kou. This is Taiki Kou, and Yaten Kou." He said, gesturing to each of them.

"She mentioned us?" Yaten asked, latching onto her earlier offhanded comment, his heart filling with anticipation.

Neb giggled. "Yes, she does. Hikari is very pleased to be able to perform near such talented people like you. She always comes home, her eyes lit with such enthusiasm." She set her glass on the silver tray. "She also mentions a few other girls that are in her class at school. She said that they treat her like a normal person, as much as anyone can expect, I think."

Taiki's eyes dropped to his glass as he swirled its content around. "Yes, those are very special girls." He murmured, almost unheard by the others. Neb curiously tilted her head, her gold eyes quietly observing him.

"But Hikari, where is she?" Yaten pressed, ignoring Taiki.

"Oh yes! Hikari! Well, you see," Neb paused, tapping the corner of her mouth with her index finger. "She was called home by her mother. It was unfortunate and rather unexpected but Hikari could not hide what had happened at school that day as the school had already called her parents to inform them. Mama Aso called that night demanding that she come home to California so she could see to her proper care." Neb sighed, smiling amusedly, "Mama Aso has always been like that. She would not take Hikari's word, or mine, that she was just fine. Hikari only had some bruises and scratches. She would have been sore for a week at most but fine afterwards. I doubt any of them would have even left a scar." She said casually.

Yaten nodded vigorously, her explanation settling into his heart, calming the rapid palpitations that had started the moment Neb had begun to talk. "So she is just out of the country visiting her parents? Then she is fine?" Neb nodded, confirming what she had already said.

Seiya smiled, "Good news." Taiki agreed.

Neb looked at each of the Idols, eyeing them with interest. "You called her 'Aso' at first but now its "Hikari'. Just how close are you to my friend?" She quietly asked.

The Three Lights shifted nervously. They should have known better. If Hikari was not at home, they might have to face questions about their role in her life with who ever might have answered the door. After all, rivals do not usually concern themselves with each other's private life.

Their silence and inability to answer the question set Neb on edge. Her eyes suddenly became very shrewd, the gold melting into scorching lava. "What do you three know of what happened? I was told what had occurred by Hikari herself, but she gave me no impression that anyone else knew of it _or_ that any of her classmates should have a concern over it." Her voice had taken a sharp turn, the light tone deepening in octave as she eyed each of them suspiciously.

"Ah!" Taiki uneasily waved his hands in front of him at her sudden hostility. "No! A mutual friend of ours had been there as well. Makoto Kino was there the whole time."

"That's right!" Yaten jumped in, perceiving where Taiki was leading the conversation. "We had heard that there was a fight with Sailor Moon on the roof. Makoto was late to class and looked pretty banged up. She told us what had happened."

"I see. Your friend explained it." Neb's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"No, a _mutual_ friend; Hikari knows Makoto as well." Taiki elaborated, trying to appease the slender girl before them. There was stunning the level of fear she had placed in the boys with a menacing look and tone when only moments ago she had been welcoming and cheerful!

Seiya perceived it was his time to chime in. "Yes. The girls that Hikari mentions, they are mutual friends of ours: Makoto Kino, Minako Aino, Ami Mizuno, and Usagi Tsukino. Aside from Ami, we are all classmates." He explained. "Makoto has even appeared on TV with Taiki on a cooking show! Maybe you saw it? It did air some weeks before Hikari announced her return to Japan so maybe you didn't have a chance." He flippantly remarked. "It was quite a fiasco when Usagi appeared on stage, messing up the cake and nearly blowing up the kitchen!" Taiki covered his mouth, trying to stifle his laughter, though it was a losing battle. The mere memory of that bizarre incident would send him into howls of laughter.

"She mixed up the baking powder and the flour!" Taiki nearly exclaimed, holding onto his stomach. "It was such a mess!"

Yaten grinned. "That was after she mixed two egg shells in with the cake batter." He added chuckling lights, watching as Taiki struggled to regain his composure. "And the cook didn't know what to do with her appearance in the first place. Just imagine a random girl popping up on stage like she belongs there!"

Taiki finally burst into deep loud laughter. Seiya and Yaten exchanged a conspiring wink with each other. Making Taiki dissolve into a laughing fit had always been their favorite hobby. Neb had turned her head, covering her mouth, trying to maintain her own poise. The quiet giggles they could hear escaping from behind her hand was a bonus to the two. The bright shine in Neb's eyes showed them they had managed to alleviate her doubts.

The comical moment had passed and once Taiki could breathe again, the Three Lights announce they needed to go home. Neb had once again gained her cheerful attitude; she offered to walk them to the elevator. They explained that they were concerned about paparazzi so they would take the stairs.

"Also, could you not tell anyone aside from Hikari that we came for a visit? We can only imagine what the magazines would say if they knew! It could damage Hikari as well." Seiya asked, winking lightly. Neb assured him that she would not breathe a word of it. "It was a pleasure meeting you. I hope to see you again soon." Neb said, waving good bye.

As soon as the apartment door was shut, the three Idols made their way out of the building the same as they had come, in secret.

* * *

Usagi could not believe this was happening, again! She had gone for a walk in the park by the river after class, a chance to be alone, breathe clean air, and think about the previous week. She had passed a middle-aged man who had dropped his art supplies everywhere. His leather satchel had torn open spilling his paint tubes, brushes, and various tools all over the sidewalk next to his easel. Usagi had stopped to help him, remarking on his painting of the river. She spoke with him for a bit, taking what little she had learned from Michiru about art and applying it to her conversation, and then bade him good-bye. Usagi did not know that he was a world-renowned painter, or that he had made himself a target for the enemy. She did not know any of this until she heard his scream just was she was buying a crepe from the park vendor Now Sailor Moon was frantically dodging paint balls! She could not allow herself to be hit because it would creep over her body, freezing it in a very grotesque statue, much like the two victims the phage had already terrorized, covered in bright blue and red. Sailor Moon did not have a chance to call any of the girls for help. She would have to fight on her own; now she just needed an opening.

Too caught up in looking for a chance, Sailor Moon had left her defense vulnerable. She did not notice the phage slide a sharp paintbrush into his free hand. She did not see it until it was hurdled at her, with her back against a tree. She grabbed her Tier, ready to attempt to deflect it when a rushing noise and a bright orange light roared past her, sweeping the dangerous paintbrush away and into dust. She looked where the light had come from, sighing in relief.

"Under the Heavenly Planet, Sailor Uranus!" Sailor Uranus shouted from her place next to her partner.

"Under the Deep Sea Planet, Sailor Neptune!" Neptune introduced herself, preparing to attack the phage. "Deep Submerge!" She called, throwing her powerful attack, hitting the phage dead on, knocking it to the ground.

"Sailor Moon!" Uranus called to her.

Sailor Moon readied her Tier. She drew her power to her staff, the phalanx of energy engulfing the phage as it cried out. When the light subsided, the painter reappeared, unhurt, his two victims also returned to normal, all of them unconscious.

Uranus and Neptune appeared at Sailor Moon's side. "Are you ok?' Neptune asked.

Sailor Moon grinned. "I'm great now that you guys are here. I was in a tight spot!" Uranus ruffled the girl's hair.

"We are just happy that we were nearby. We saw people running in every direction and came to take a look. Please, be more careful, kitten." She said, smiling gently.

"Thank you. I will." Sailor Moon promised.

The three of them hid behind a nearby riverboat house so they could change back. Usagi's stomach gave a horrendous growl when they had emerged from their hiding spot. She laughed embarrassedly, covering her offending stomach. "I was going to eat something but then that phage appeared." She explained.

Haruka patted her on the back. "Michiru and I were just heading home. Setsuna just bought some new cake from that popular bakery that just opened near her school. Would you like to try it?" Haruka offered.

Usagi appeared to be weighing the decision. Probably trying to figure out how much time it took to get from the park to their house, and how delicious the cake would be AND if she could wait that long for food. "I'm told it has strawberries in it." Michiru added, smiling furtively.

Usagi grinned widely. "Thank you!" She cheered, rushing ahead, ready to get to the Outer Senshi's place as quick as she could. Haruka and Michiru followed her, laughed gaily at her appetite.

* * *

Life for the Senshi seemed to return to a vague sense of normalcy. Though their Pop Idol friend had yet to reappear, they were not nearly as worried as they had been. When the Three Lights had rejoined them for the school the following day, Seiya had made it a point of telling the girls that they had confirmed with a "reliable anonymous" source that Hikari was perfectly alright and that she may be returning soon. The relief was felt by all, as though the air had become easier to breathe. Usagi promised she would call Hotaru to share that news. She had seemed a little down when Usagi had been over the previous night. She thought that Hotaru would be very happy to hear that her favorite singer was only visiting family. Though Usagi had mentioned calling the young girl while Seiya had been standing next to her, he said nothing of his meeting with the pint sized Senshi. He did not want anyone to know about it yet. There had been an underlying emotion between the two when they had spoken. It was almost as if they had shared such a conversation before. Seiya had only recognized the sensation as he ran through the conversation in his head later that night. It was strange how he could count the number of times he had **seen** the child on one hand and yet had spoken with her so naturally! He had been so comfortable around her, if a little wry, sharing unnecessary information with her; it was absurd! He was usually carefully guarded, except occasionally with Usagi. It was not an unnerving sensation, only unusual. Seiya did not sense any danger from it, and considering her massive veiled power, he should have. They, the Starlights, were not of this world, nor even this solar system. They were not allies with the local Senshi but they were not enemies. The Starlights were in a tricky spot. Giving away too much information to the wrong person could lead to their own destruction. It was true that Seiya had shared nearly their entire story, at least their current mission, with Usagi but she was very different. She was the leader of the local Senshi and possessed a very pure and warm shine, not unlike his own Princess. No, she was different in many ways. It is not to say the others are bad people but they are much like Seiya and his brothers; when it comes to their duty, their attitudes will change completely. There was no room for error, no room for feelings. They had a purpose, a reason to exist. The sentiments and duties were similar but a shared camaraderie was not present because their allegiances were with two separate people. It was why his talk with Hotaru was so curious. Seiya had been tempted to find the child and try again to see if the feeling remained the same but that would be asking for trouble. From what he could glean, she was under the guardianship of the other three Outers who did not like him or his brothers one bit. It would not do to add another person to the list of forbidden acquaintances.

* * *

The three lights had managed to survive their busy weekend. With no Saturday school, they took the entire weekend to work in the studio with their manager and producer to finish what they could on their new album. The long hours were tough on the boys. They had finished two fourteen hour days in a row. They were exhausted! However, when Monday morning arrived, Taiki forcefully shook his two brothers awake for school. Yaten threw a fit, citing their long weekend as a good excuse for a day off. Taiki answered with a glass of cold water and informed the now drenched and wide wake Yaten that if he was not ready to go to school on time, Taiki would tell the teacher he had skipped to go to the arcade. Yaten, aware that it would earn him a month of after school dentations, was ready in a flash (cursing Taiki in every way and language he could think of).

The three of them had a quiet morning; dealing with fewer reporters at the school gate was a blessing to them. They had no homework to turn in and did not have any tests for the week. It would qualify them for some leisure time. Seiya spent lunch with the girls, Usagi, Minako, Ami, and Makoto, on the roof of the school. Yaten and Taiki allowed it to pass; neither voicing any objection nor allowing it to upset them. Seiya had been very concentrated on their new album putting all his effort and energy into it. Yaten and Taiki would not say anything about the time he spent with the girls. Though the two of them wished they could be so carefree. They had a mission, they had to remind themselves of daily, and they had to remain focused on it. If all three of them became too involved with Earth's inhabitants, their objective could be lost; they were fighting an uphill battle. Yaten and Taiki may have been vocal in the past about their vehement hate for Usagi and her alter ego Sailor Moon, but seeing the warrior from the eyes of her soldiers, they could not help the admiration and respect they had developed for her. All the same, they would not allow themselves her company or her friends' unless it suited their purposes. It did not at the moment. They would play students for a short time more.

* * *

Seiya was on his way home from school by himself. Taiki was busy with his computer club citing that the club needed help with some hardware, or software, Seiya did not particularly remember. He did see Taiki meet with Ami down the hallway, quietly watching as they both walked to the club. It was nice to see him mingle more with the girls. Yaten had an appearance at a local museum, a ribbon cutting on a new exhibit. Minako had remarked on how she wanted to see the new artwork before it was shown and all but bullied Yaten into taking her, and Makoto and Usagi tagged along. Seiya would have gone with them but wanted to have some quiet time at the house before the others got back. Though he was a very sociably and an easily likable person, Seiya did cherish his solitude.

He had just made it a few blocks from school, stopping by the convenience store to buy his dinner when he saw a flash of long black hair. Looking again, Seiya had to cover his mouth to stop from calling out. It was Hikari Aso! She had just left a bookstore across the street from him, looking for all the world like she did not want to be seen. However, she was clearly no good at subterfuge as her sunglasses and hat did little to hide who she was. She did not have anything in her hands, Seiya noticed as she looked around as though deciding where to go next. She looked a little worn out; she might have been out shopping for a few hours already. Seiya quickly donned his own pair of sunglasses and followed along behind Hikari as she headed down the street. It had only a few days ago that they visited Hikari's apartment and met her roommate, Neb, but Seiya had been under the impression that Hikari would be in California for a while longer. She had not been in school that day either. Seiya mentally kicked himself: _like that means anything!_ The Three Lights would skip school when it suited them, Hikari could do the same. Seiya swiftly made his way through the crosswalk so he could follow behind his rival.

Hikari had paused in her stroll through the shopping district. Her head had tilted to look across the street, staring at the building there. Seiya thought it was curious that she was looking at 'Crown's Parlor'. _Is she thinking of dropping in or-_

Seiya knew that it was the girls' preferred hang out spot. Usagi had mentioned in Jr high they used to frequent the arcade below the parlor but thought better of it now that they were in high school. Hikari heaved a long sigh, and continued down the road, now walking at a brisker pace than before.

Instead of choosing to make his presence known, Seiya crept along behind her, thinking that her behavior was odd. Though as an Idol, hiding her identity, even poorly, was normal. Hikari's actions were not. There was something off about her but Seiya could not put his finger on it. Her actions seemed strange, like she was melancholy. Looking up at 'Crown's' like she longed to visit, wondering around the shopping district but not buying anything, it was as though she was hoping to run into someone but avoid them at the same time.

Seiya followed behind Hikari, keeping his distance so that she could not turn around and see him immediately. They had already been walking around for a while now, leaving the shopping district. He followed Hikari onto a bus, not bothering to see where it was supposed to go. Hikari just stared quietly out the window, resting her chin on her hand. Seiya had the urge to go to her, to see what could be wrong and perhaps even try to get her to smile. He loved to see her smile. Her green eyes would glitter so brightly, her smile would **always** reach her eyes as though that was where they belonged. Hikari could smile so very easily, with no effort. Her pink lips would just melt across her cheeks, grinning widely and usually at the smallest of things. A simple "Hello" or a casual wave would be greeted with a heartfelt smile, and all her focus would be on you as if you were the only one in her entire world. She just had that uncanny ability to focus so completely on a person, to show such sincerity, it could warm you from the inside out and you find yourself smiling with her. It was yet another thing Seiya found himself adding to his list of qualities he liked about his rival.

The bus ground to halt. Seiya snapped out of his ravine, noticing nearly too late that Hikari had exited. He rushed to the front slipping out the doors before they closed on him. He looked around for Hikari, unable to tell which direction she had gone. A sudden breeze tugged his hair and he inhaled, smelling, _salt?_ Seiya looked up; he had arrived at the beach. He rushed to the wall that separated the sidewalk from the sandy shore. He looked around and down the beach thinking this must have been where Hikari had intended to go. He was correct. Hikari was trotting around in the sand, having just climbed down the stairs from the street. Seiya spotted another staircase just a short way away from him, probably not the same one she had gone down. He quickly descended them, not wanting to lose her again. "What a strange woman!" He said to himself. "What kind of person wonders around shopping but not buying anything then heads to the beach?" Seiya reached the sandy shore and tore off his shoes so he would not have to spend hours later cleaning the sand from them. He spied Hikari, dangling her own shoes from her hand, walking along the water. Her dress was above her knees, showing off her pale legs, allowing the water to wash over her feet without putting her outfit in any salt-water danger. Seiya was rooted to the ground. The sea breeze blowing her ebony locks about, her causal stroll, the sun silhouetting her frame: Seiya could not breathe. She was beautiful. His feet started moving before Seiya had given them permission. They carried him closer to her. _No!_ Seiya had followed her, **stalked** her even; he could not let her know that! He fought for control, throwing himself behind something before she could see him but it was too late.

"Who's there?" She called out, not sounding the least bit scared. She had wandered down the shore too far; there was no one around to see her, or Seiya for that matter. Seiya counted to ten, taking a deep breath, trying to come up with any plausible explanation to be on the beach, after school, in his uniform, and following behind her. He sighed, leaving his hiding spot, _No dice, _he thought in resignation.

* * *

Haha! Hikari has returned! Its not quite a cliffhanger but it was the best place to end.

PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! ^^ Thank you very much!


	12. Chapter 11: Nightmares

Chapter 11

Nightmares

"_Who's there?" She called out, not sounding the least bit scared. She had wondered down the shore too far; there was no one around to see her, or Seiya for that matter. Seiya counted to ten, taking a deep breath, trying to come up with any plausible explanation to be on the beach, after school, in his uniform, and following her. He sighed, leaving his hiding spot; _No dice_. He thought in resignation._

"Seiya?" Hikari breathed. "What are you doing here?"

Seiya shrugged flippantly. "I like the ocean; I thought that today was a good day to visit; nice breeze, not too hot. I didn't think I'd see anyone I knew here."

Hikari crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at him. "You thought so but you're not surprised to see me?"

Seiya grimaced. _Half-truth is just as good._ "I **did** see you, when you got off the bus. I was a bit surprised; I thought you were still in California visiting your parents." Hikari looked taken aback for a moment. "Your roommate Neb told us about it when we tried to visit you a few days ago."

"Oh, well, she never mentioned it to me." Hikari replied. "I've only just returned. I wanted to visit the beach today. Just felt like it was a good day to do it, like you, I suppose." She smiled brightly at him. "Would you like to walk with me?"

Seiya inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, I'd love to join you." He grinned, sweeping his arm to the side, gesturing that Hikari should lead the way. The two Idols set off down the beach, not walking in the water but close enough to it that they were on the soaked sand. They spoke of little things, weather and school. Hikari briefly described her recent visit home to her parents. Seiya related the story of how he and his brothers were nearly caught visiting her apartment, the two of them laughed as they speculated what the tabloids would have read the next day had they been spotted. Seiya spoke to his rival so easily, so casually, it felt so natural to be there, with her, on that beach. Her effortless company was almost soothing. With her, all but one secret did not exist. He did not have to maintain the façade of an Idol, he did not have to be on his best and most polite behavior, fearful of losing fans otherwise; he could be himself, his real self. Though Seiya could not tell her about his alter ego as Sailor Star Fighter, here on this beach, it did not matter; there were no enemies to fight. He wondered if Hikari could feel it too. He wondered if she was as relaxed as he was with her. He looked down at her, at his side as she related a tale about herself and Neb causing mischief in their primary school in America. Her emerald eyes sparkled with the memory, animatedly retelling the story, sometimes gesturing wildly for emphasis. Seiya could not stop himself from grinning widely at her excitement.

"Then Neb went right up to the teacher and told her about the whole thing! We were in so much trouble because of that!" Hikari laughed gaily, reflexively reaching out for Seiya's arm to steady herself as her laughter shook her entire body.

Seiya felt an immediate spark race up his arm at her touch. His head snapped up to stare at her and stopped walking completely, forcing Hikari to stop as well. Hikari quit laughing, looking up at Seiya, her green eyes filled with concern. "Are you ok?" She asked, lightly gripping his arm that she still held. Seiya did not respond; he placed a hand over hers on his arm, as if silently asking if she had felt that spark, that shock he still felt coursing through his body. "Seiya?" Hikari called. "Seiya? Are you ok?" Seiya still would not respond; he gently tugged her closer to him, scanning her face for any sign of recognition. He only got an anxious stare back. Snapping from his reverie, he shook his head.

"No, I'm fine. Just feeling a little - strange, that's all." He finally answered, releasing her hand, allowing it to fall back to her side. He smiled reassuringly and continued down the shore, both hoping and dreading that Hikari would follow. What had he been thinking? He could not behave in such a manner, not to Hikari, not to anyone on this planet! _But what was that feeling-_ his curious mind could not help but ask.

Seiya could hear Hikari's footsteps lightly trekking behind him, his heart clenched. He needed to stall her; keep a little bit of distance between them for a few moments longer or else he did not know what he would do next. "Hikari?" He called over his shoulder. "Could I ask you a question?"

"Sure! But I can't say that I'll answer or not." She replied, playfully winking, pretending that he had not just stared longingly into her eyes only a few moments ago.

Seiya chuckled, playing along, and turned around so he could see her, walking backwards. "Why did you decide to move so far from your parents?" He said, asking her the first thing that came to mind then immediately regretting it as a guarded look washed over Hikari's face.

She stopped abruptly. "Ah, well, there were a lot of reasons to do it." She muttered, preferring to watch the horizon rather than at him. "My career was doing so well, I thought perhaps I should bring my music to my home country. Mom and Dad thought it was a good idea, too."

Seiya stopped walking, gaping incredulously at the girl in front of him. _She's lying. I'm not sure how I know but I __**know**__ that she's lying to me. But why would she need to?_ It was his own fault, he supposed, he should not have asked something so personal in such a frivolous way. "Oh? So it was your idea to come back to perform in Japan?" He asked casually, keeping his tone light. Hikari's eyes flickered, glancing in askance at Seiya before returning to the ocean. He dearly wanted to know why her attitude had changed so suddenly. The question that he had meant to use to stall her and keep her at a distance had turned on him, bringing him closer to her with every word.

"Uh, yes, it was my idea. Well, no, it was my manager's idea and it – it sounded like fun so I decided to return." She stumbled over her words, looking down at her feet as she shuffled over into the lapping waves. "My parents agreed that it was a good opportunity to return to my home country, one I had not seen since I was a little girl. I barely remember this place."

Seiya nodded convincingly. "So you were homesick for a place you couldn't remember?"

"What?" Hikari stopped shuffling her feet but did not look at him. "What do you mean 'homesick'?"

Seiya smiled charmingly. "You said in an interview when you first got here that you came back because you were homesick." He explained. "My brothers and I pay attention to entertainment news of any kind."

"Oh, that!" Hikari blushed, slipping past Seiya. "Well, I really do miss what little I remember of Japan and since it is the country of my birth even if I can hardly recall, homesick was really the only term I could think of to call it - "

Seiya caught her wrist before she was out of arm's reach. "Hikari, you know that I am also an Idol? That I have fans and reporters stalking me?" Hikari glanced over her shoulder, locking with Seiya's sapphire eyes. "I understand mystery, I understand secrecy, I understand when you can't tell anyone around you who you really are and what you're really feeling."

"Seiya, that's not what – I'm just – "

"Hikari, you can talk to me." Seiya said, earnestly, now gripping both of her arms, turning her to face him. Hikari looked away from his intense gaze; the emotions rippling under the surface were something she could not understand, not something she could name.

"Hikari," Seiya whispered her name, coaxing her. "Please look at me." He gently nudged her chin, turning her bright green eyes back to his. "I promise, you can tell me anything. Anything at all, and I will keep your secrets. I promise you." He said, sincerely. "You don't have to tell me now but when you're ready, whenever you are ready to talk, I'll be here to listen." Seiya pulled Hikari to his chest, locking her in his embrace.

"What – Seiya!" Hikari gasped, startled, her arms trapped between her and Seiya. An intense blush swept across her cheeks.

Seiya tightened his hold on her, hugging her securely against him. _This feels so familiar, but it's also - different. Why, Hikari, why do you make me feel this way?_ Seiya breathed deep, the salt air mixing with Hikari's own sweet fragrance, filling his senses. Seiya wanted to stay there, with Hikari, on that beach.

Hikari seemed to relax in his strong arms, gripping his shirt lightly. She softly laid her head against his chest. "Thank you, Seiya." She whispered.

He smiled serenely at that. He will, sometime soon, understand this feeling coursing through him. This nostalgia, this longing, this calming warm wave that washed over him, he will understand why it is **Hikari** that caused these emotions. Seiya knew.

* * *

Seiya did not return home until much later that night. Hikari had left him shortly after he had embraced her on the beach. She said she needed to get home to Neb before she worried too much. Seiya allowed her to leave, watching her retreating back till he could no longer see her. He sat down in the sand, in the very same spot she had been standing in only a moment before. Seiya merely stared at the sea as the sky darkened around him, his thoughts taking a similar turn. Now that the heat of the moment had cooled and he was left alone, guilt washed over him. He had behaved in a completely brash and impetuous manner earlier. How could he have had the nerve to make such an offer to Hikari? Never mind that he had **hugged** her but he had made a promise to her, a promise he knew he could not keep but one that he wanted to more than anything!

Seiya stripped out his school uniform when he finally arrived in his room, tossing it into the adjoining bathroom. He quickly shed any remaining clothes, opting for simple shorts to sleep in. He sat at the foot of his bed, his arms folded over his knees. What could he do about his promise now? He had promised to be there for her, to listen to her when she needed it. He knew that when they, his brothers and he, found their Princess that they would leave Earth behind, including everyone they knew here. How could Hikari understand something like that? Though she had been reluctant, in the end she had accepted his offer; what would happen if she needed him when he was gone? How could he come back to help her when his obligations kept him away?

"Obligations?" Seiya breathed out, growling at himself, scratching his head in frustration. "Since when did my Princess become an **obligation**?" Seiya flung himself over his bed, burying his head into his pillow. He did not want to think on it anymore. He would meet each challenge as they came at him. "I will keep my promise." He muttered forcefully into his pillow. "I will always keep my promises."

* * *

"Yaten!"

Minako yelled across the schoolyard just as the Three Lights had entered the school gate. "Taiki, Seiya! You'll never guess who is here!" Minako ran to them, her eyes sparkling with child-like delight. "Hikari is back!" She squealed.

"What? She's here? Where?" Yaten exclaimed, shocked and expectant.

"In the classroom, she just got back into town! Come on!" Minako said excitedly, dragging Yaten through the school door. Yaten quickly caught up to her pace, and tried to pull his arm from her grip. "I know you've been worried about her. You must be relieved." Minako softly whispered to him, smiling gently.

"Minako," Yaten stopped pulling and smiled back. "Yes, I am relieved."

Taiki and Seiya stood exactly where the other two had left them a little stunned. "Hikari is back?" He asked, looking over at Seiya.

Seiya shrugged casually. "It seems like it. Let's go say 'Hello'." He said, leading the way. He saw Taiki, grinning broadly; follow him from the corner of his eye. He had not told either of his brothers where he had been yesterday after school or who he had been with. He did not want to explain it to them what Hikari and he had talked about. He did not want to answer the questions that would surely follow.

When the two arrived at the classroom, they saw a huge crowd of people where Hikari's desk should have been. Wadding through the students, Seiya found Hikari talking excitedly with Usagi, Makoto, Minako and Yaten. He grinned, approaching the four of them.

"Good morning, Hikari!" He greeted cheerfully. Hikari snapped her head in his direction, as did many others, and then smiled brightly.

"Good morning, Seiya." She responded cheerfully, then immediately looked over his shoulder, "Good morning, Taiki." She called in equal measure. Seiya was jolted by her casual greeting and her immediate dismissal of him in favor of greeting his brother. Had he misread something from yesterday?

"Good morning. I see you've returned." Taiki said, joining the others. Hikari started her explanation that she had already repeated nearly ten times that morning that she had been called home by her parents, those around her nodding knowingly. "But, why didn't you tell anyone?" Taiki asked, feigning hurt.

Hikari countered his jab with an elbow in his arm. "If I had then rumors might have started that someone in my family, me included, could be ill. I didn't want that kind of gossip, those are terribly hard to discredit." Hikari clarified. "No matter the case, I'm back. Right, Makoto?" Hikari winked playfully.

"Right!" Makoto agreed.

"Students, take you seats please." The teacher announced, entering the classroom. "Let's all give Ms Aso some air on her first day back." The students reluctantly returned to their seats as the teacher began writing their first period assignment on the board.

Seiya was having a hard time concentrating in class. Hikari had acted so indifferently towards him. She did not even indicate that they had spoken the day before, or that they had embraced – _that was it! _Seiya thought with sudden clarity, his head snapping up. She might be embarrassed and did not want to bring it up. It would make things awkward. If anyone noticed that they were acting differently around each other and asked or figured it out on their own, it could make things complicated with them. _Or_, thought Seiya with abrupt despair _it didn't mean that much to her._ She was a huge Idol, famous in two countries: that practically made her an **international** star. She could have anyone she wanted, it's not like she needs more friends. Seiya shook his head. That could **not** be it. She may have many friends but a lot of those friends are also fans, not an Idol like herself. She could use more friends on her professional level, too. _But then that leads me back to square one: why was she so unconcerned and more importantly, why am I thinking about this?!_ Seiya smacked his head against his desk, loudly.

"Mr Kou!" The teacher snapped. "Pick you head up off your desk and go stand in the hall if my lesson is too boring for you!"

Seiya was instantly at attention. "I'm sorry, sir." He said; trudging to the door, Yaten snickering at him on his way out while the rest of the class watched him curiously. Had Seiya looked back he would have seen Hikari's deeply concerned features follow him before she wiped her face clean of expression, choosing to refocus on the teacher.

* * *

"_Akane!" Seiya screamed in horror. When the bright light faded, Seiya's director had disappeared and the grotesque form of a phage had appeared. A megaphone and clapper board for hands, the phage attacked, slicing through the metal railing like butter, knocking Seiya from his feet, hitting the floor with a loud smack. _

What should I do? _Seiya thought frantically, staring into the purple tinged face of the monster. _Should I fight her? _She was their musical director, a genius mind. She was going to ensure their message would reach a larger audience, one that had not heard them yet. If he killed her, it would be the end of the musical, they would lose valuable ground. But Seiya could not change her back into Akane; he would have to kill her. He could not let her interfere with his mission. _

_With his mind made up, Seiya stood, fierce and determined as the phage approached him on the stairs. He pulled out his pendant, drawing his power to it, "Star Fighter Power! Make Up!" The brilliant light that should have enveloped him did not appear. Seiya tried again with no success. The phage launched another attack on him, lunging with the clapper board out. Seiya flipped over, one hand on the floor to right himself. Once his feet hit the floor, he took off into the dance studio, slamming the door behind him to stall for time, still attempting his transformation. _What's wrong?! Have I lost my power? _ He thought in desperation. _

_The Phage blew the door way apart, stalking into the studio. Seiya turned to face his opponent, his back to the mirrored wall. _Is this the end?

_Fear and panic raced through his mind. Seiya started grabbing the equipment nearest to him, throwing it at the monster. The chairs, poles, stereo, all were sliced or utterly destroyed. The phage had yet to break a sweat but Seiya had collapsed in a corner, his panic and fear had exhausted and abandoned him. He stared into the purple face of his enemy, quiet terror spinning in his head._

_The Phage loomed over him, a vile grin spread across her face. _

Seiya shot up in bed, his sheets and comforter damp with sweat. Seiya stared long and hard at his shaking hands, trying to bring his labored breathing back under control, gripping his head, he breathed long and deep but was unable to control his palpitating heart.

"A dream?" He muttered. It had been a battle he, Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars had fought and won before. Why was he thinking about it now? Why was it distorted? Seiya shook his head and went to his bathroom. Splashing cold water on his face, his heart beat slowly returned to normal as he repeated the mantra in his head. "Just a dream. Just a dream." Settled and cooled down, the raven haired man crawled back into bed, settling against his pillow as he was lulled back into sleep.

Down the hall from Seiya, in the furthest door on the left, there were sounds of tussling coming from Yaten's room.

Yaten's light colored sheets had been kicked from his bed. The bed's occupant was turned at an odd angle, sideways on the bed with the owner's silver head hung over one side of it. Fitful expressions would pass over the façade every few seconds, only to be wiped clean again. Yaten grumbled and mumbled angrily in his sleep. "Stop!" He turned to the other side, his arms waving madly before his unconscious body slide off the bed from the movement. Yaten yelled as he returned to the world of the awake, startled and disoriented. He sat up on the floor, shaking his head, clearing his nightmare away. Yaten looked around his bed, noticing the disarray it was in. It **had** been a frightening dream. Yaten gathered his sheets and covers, fixing them while trying to keep his nightmare from returning though bits would crop up unbidden to his mind.

It had been a nightmare from the Idol Contest he had judged and Minako had participated in. The famous music producer and additional judge for the event, Takuya Morobashi, had been targeted by the enemy and transformed into a phage. Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus were having a hard time dealing with the musical monster. Sailor Star Healer had decided to give them a hand, if only to help end the battle before it grew (or so Yaten had managed to convince himself of later). During the battle, Star Healer had assisted Sailor Venus, helping her avoid an attack by assailing the phage first then Venus had attacked the monster and Sailor Moon had finished it. In his dream, his attack had failed, the phage had dodged it and charged Venus, its own assault hitting home, and effectively killed the Senshi. Star Healer had been too stunned to do more than stare in horror when the phage turned and attacked her. She could not defend fast enough and found herself impaled by the keyboard guitar the phage wielded. Mortally wounded but not yet dead, Star Healer had fallen; gripping her stomach tightly, watching through veiled silver bangs as the phage killed Sailor Moon in turn, then her world had gone black.

Yaten shuddered at the memory: Venus' lifeless blue eyes, the blood dripping from her paling lips; the terror that had gripped Yaten. He slipped under his cover, curling his knees to his chest, squeezing his eyes shut, banishing the memory, trying to find sleep.

The eldest of the brothers was not fairing any better than other two. Wrapped closely in his bed, Taiki was equally captivated by his nightmare.

_Taiki could only think of the words of hope and romance that his classmate, Ami, had held onto so desperately. She held faith that the weather would clear enough for their teacher and her to see the comet the teacher had discovered years ago. _

_Taiki paid his cab driver as he exited the vehicle just a block over from the teacher's house, holding his umbrella over his head to block the continual downpour of rain. It was then he heard a terrible cry. He rushed to the source finding Ami facing off with a phage. Taiki transformed without a second thought and rushed in to save her. He fired an attack at the phage. Thinking it was all over, Star Maker was beyond shocked when Ami tackled the phage, evading the attack. _

"_What are you doing?!" Star Healer cried in outrage. _

"_Please don't!" Ami pleaded. "He's the teacher that I respect the most!" She begged Star Healer. _Teacher? Amanogawa? Our Teacher? _Star Healer thought in realization. The phage was their science teacher, a target of the enemy. What could she do now? Kill the person Ami was protecting? No, no longer a person, a phage now._

_The phage was recovering and raising his pointing rod to strike Ami. "Study!" Star Healer kicked the weapon and the hand wielding it. The phage rolled across the ground, writhing in pain._

"_That Phage is no longer the teacher that you respect!" Star Healer harshly shouted at Ami._

"_No!" Ami cried, clasping her hands together. "I'm sure he can come back! As a teacher who taught us dreams and romance!" _

"_Are dreams and romance important?" Star Healer countered._

_Ami nodded empathetically. "The very minds which seek dreams and romance give us the energy to work!" Star Healer, momentarily frozen by Ami's passionate words did not see the phage produce another pointer rod from beneath his clothes. Choosing not to call out, the phage attacked without warning, aiming for Star Healer's back. Ami's eyes grew large, lunging at Star Healer, knocking the Senshi off her feet. _

_Star Healer hit the ground hard on her side, rolling over to help absorb the impact and finished, crouching, ready to spring back into action. A raw cry ripped through the night, the sickening sound of tearing flesh reached Star Healer's ears before her eyes could assess the situation. Her violet eyes shot up, watching in alarm as Ami's body sank to the ground, blood gushing from an open gash on her chest. Star Healer raced to her classmate's side, gripping her limp body to her. "Ami!" Star Healer shouted in agony. "Ami!"_

"_Study!" The phage yelled, brining the rod down on Star Healer's head- _

Taiki's eyes flew open, his body shooting upright, his arms braced over his head as if to block an imaginary blow. When nothing made contact, Taiki slowly lowered his arms, glancing hysterically around his room, finding nothing but shadows and moonlight. No phages waited in the shadows and corners, it was only a dream. Taiki quietly sank back against his bed, leaving an arm over his eyes. "A dream." He whispered, shuddering at the memory. It had been terrifying; the fear, the pain, the helplessness, and the death that awaited him at the end. He knew when he had woken that he had been moments from his own imaginary death. "But it was a dream. Not real." He muttered, rolling over onto his side. Taiki looked at his bedside clock. It was late. He needed to sleep. There was still school in the morning, nightmare or no nightmare. He forced his terror out of his mind with a few deep breathes and soon rejoined his brothers in the realm of dreams.

"_Star Serious – Laser!" Star Fighter fired his weapon at Sailor Iron Mouse only moments before she revealed his identity to Sailor Moon who was standing behind her. She watched on as Iron Mouse called upon the phone booth she would usually use to flee in as a shield to protect her-self. Star Fighter, Star Healer and Star Maker were stunned. It had dissipated the attack. There had to be something powerful protecting it. Iron Mouse stared out at them smugly, triumph shining from her gray eyes._

"_If you don't want me to tell, give me your star seeds – " Her demand interrupted by the black phone inside the booth. The sound of the phone altered Iron Mouse's expression of glee to one of fear. She hesitantly reached for the phone, answering it in a quiver. "H-hello. Thank you for calling. This is your S-Sailor Iron Mouse-"Cut off again; a cruel voice came over the line clear even to the four Senshi outside the booth._

"_You disappoint me, Sailor Iron Mouse."_

_A terrifying red vortex appeared around the booth; Iron Mouse backed against the wall, shaking from head to toe. _

_Star Fighter took a step back. The evil emulating from the vortex was one she had felt before. Iron Mouse had good reason to be afraid. Her sisters tensed, feeling the threat before it emerged. Sailor Iron Mouse was chattering mindlessly, attempting to stall her awful fate. An unsympathetic voice was her reply. "I don't need you anymore."_

_A tall shadow materialized outside the booth, the lighting casting against the newcomer in a malevolent form. Sailor Galaxia appeared, armored in gold, her cold red eyes fixed on her subordinate inside the phone booth. Galaxia casually raise her hand, ignoring Iron Mouse's pleas and pitiable bid for time. Iron Mouse's two bejeweled, gold bracelets clanged together, her cries turning desperate as she sees her end drawing near. Her petrified final cry pierced the air, her bracelets disappearing and her life along with them._

_The two gold bands appeared in Galaxia's outstretched palm. She turned to other occupants in the room. The Starlights felt as though they had been doused in cold water, frozen in place, in fear, in despair, in helplessness and hopelessness that dragged their very soul from their bodies. They would die; it was in the molten crimson eyes that held them melted to the ground. Those fearsome eyes promised a long drawn out, and painful end. They would die screaming, begging for a quicker death that she would __**not**__ grant them. They had once defied her, she would remember, and they would pay dearly for it._

_The hand that was not lightly holding the gold bracelets raised, palm open; they could not even flinch or feel the trickle of sweat that beaded down their faces. A gush of air, a bellow, and they were – _

The Three Lights awoke anew, each sprinting from their beds, racing into the hallway only to collide with each other. Landing gracelessly on the ground, shouting and grunting, they struggled to get up. One look at each other told them what they needed to know: they had shared the same horrifying dream. They slumped back onto the floor in; relieved that it had been a dream, that they were all alive. They sat there, regaining control over their breathing and their hearts.

After a few moments, Taiki was the first to break the silence. "We've taken too many chances." He simply said.

Seiya could only agree silently, turning his head away. Yaten looked grimly at his brothers, his voice croaking lightly. "We could have died – " he said, voicing what the others did not wish to acknowledge aloud. Taiki too, looked away, ashamed of his own rash decisions. They had justified it repeatedly but the 'what if's' still laid in between each and every excuse.

The three came to a collective decision; never again. They could **not** afford it anymore.

* * *

The cool night air swept over the trees surrounding the townhouse the Three Lights were in. Finally having confronted a few issues that they had been avoiding, the dreams that had plagued them all night leaving them little choice, they headed off to bed for a second time, hoping that sleep would be kinder to them this turn. None of them bothered looking out the window at the end of the upstairs hallway as they wearily crawled back to bed. If they had, they would have noticed a faint golden glow shining from a tall tree in their backyard. The light soon disappeared as the bedroom doors closed.

A slender figured jumped from the tree branch she had perched herself on in the Idols' backyard, landing gracefully on their green lawn. She causally strolled to the front of the house, giving it a glance, her golden eyes piercing the night before she continued on her way down the lane. Her small companion caught up with her in a few quick strides.

"What did you do, exactly?" Her partner queried.

The woman shrugged. "I gave them a reminder. They were-" She struggled for the word, "- straying. If they had continued in the same way, she would never come. We need her. We cannot do this without her."

The other regretfully agreed. "Yes, but I think you might have gone too far. They are not likely to give up regardless of what they encounter."

The woman laughed, tossing her long shining hair over her shoulder. "They are stubborn. A shock, a sudden fear and need will drive them better." She pinned her companion with a hard and yet hopeful stare, "She's here. She has heard them. Now we have to find her before **they** do." She gave the town house one last reflective glance over her shoulder; fading into the dark.

* * *

Whew! And we're about to get right into the thick of it! The next chapter will be out shortly, not even a week. But the following will take longer. I'll do my very best. Thank you all for sticking with me on this! I know its been a long time since I started and since I last updated and I do apologize for the wait.

Also, I'm sure everyone can see who I'd like to end up with who. This will change things, I know I've said it before, be prepared! Don't complain to me when I've warned you over and over about this! ;)

Please, do Review! I love to hear from you!


	13. Chapter 12: Daily Life

Chapter 12

Daily Life

Usagi hummed happily as she made her daily trek to school. She usually ran late, dashing out her front door while still chewing breakfast, but today was different. She had woken up before her alarm sounded, feeling rested and ready for the day! She decided to leave early and try to surprise the girls by beating them to school. She grinned wickedly at the thought, thinking the girls might faint in shock!

It had already been two weeks since Hikari's return and Usagi started to feel a sense of normalcy. It was true that they still had an enemy making an appearance every few days but it had been a long time since they had seen the ones responsible. They could only catch a glimpse of Sailor Lead Crow and Sailor Tin Nyanko as they disappeared from each scene. The immediate distraction of a raging phage will drive the masterminds from the Senshis' mind pretty quickly. Ami had been trying to locate their hideout but her tracking system would lose them the minute they vanished into their phone booths. She was looking into time warps and some kind of continuum (whatever that was), things Usagi did not understand so she left Ami to it.

Usagi instead allowed school and her friends to occupy her time. Hikari had been coming to school regularly since her return. Oh sure, Usagi and the girls might hear her doing a radio show or interviewing on TV but she did not seem to let that get in the way of school. Usagi used to love the idea of being an Idol and being able to skip school. That was until the time that she followed Minako around as the Three Lights assistant. Being an Idol was really hard work! The worst part was you could not eat when you were hungry! Usagi knew she could not do it! Food was far too important! Speaking of food, the girls had been joining Hikari in the Music Room at school for lunch break. Hikari had taken to the room to avoid fans. They, the fans, used to follow her around everywhere but when they watched her go into that particular room they would not follow, believing that she would be working hard on her music. The fans understood and allowed Hikari her space. Hikari was finally able to have a quiet lunch, possibly work on some new music (as she was in the music room after all) and just be able to take it easy without interruptions. Usagi had been the only one with the nerve, or naiveté as Makoto had put it (Usagi was not sure what a cake had to do with it) to go in the Music room. Hikari had welcomed her and the other girls joined soon after. It had become a bit of a routine for the girls to follow Hikari's stalker fans and wait for them to leave the area then join Hikari for an afternoon of music, laughter and fun.

They got to know their Idol a little bit better with each passing day. They now knew that she was terrified of snakes and spiders but loved being outside in the woods or by the water. Nighttime was her favorite time of the day, when the stars and moon were shining brightly. She loved singing dance music but loved writing ballads. Hikari also got to know the girls more. She already knew that Ami was borderline genius but she did not know that she loved to swim. Hikari had already known that Makoto could cook and fight but was very excited to know that she gardened! Hikari had gone to Makoto's the same day she discovered that little tidbit so she could look at the many plants her friend had at home. While they were alone there, Hikari asked Makoto about everything that had happened after she had fainted on the roof after that fight. Makoto did her best to let her know that everyone was alright without giving away who everyone was. Hikari and Minako share a musical bond and would put on mini performances for the girls at lunch. Usagi giggled to herself; Hikari was not at all surprised to find out the only thing that Usagi was good at was eating! Though in that respect, Hikari and Usagi were very similar in their love for food.

Usagi hopped into the classroom, discovering that she was the first one there! She giggled again, skipping to her seat, plopping her bag on the desk, she scooted into her chair grinning madly. She started kicking her feet in anticipation for what the others would say when they saw her! She swung her foot too far and knocked her desk with her knee, causing it to jump. Usagi quickly slammed her hands flat on top to stop the desk from toppling while at the same time her chair flew back into the desk behind her tipping that one over instead, a loud crash reverberating through the empty classroom. Usagi paused, her eyes squeezed shut as she waited for something else to come crashing down. When nothing happened, she slowly peaked around; praying no one else had seen or heard what had just happened. Usagi breathed a sigh of relief and started cleaning up her mess. Righting her chair first and then pulling the other desk up onto its four legs. It was then that Usagi recalled the owner of the desk behind her: Seiya. She had only seen him and the others only three times in the last two weeks. They had not come to school at all last week and the week before they had only been there for three days. She slid back into her chair, turned sideways so she could rest her arm on the chair's back; she stared sadly at the empty space wondering if today was the day its owner would return, cheerfully greeting her in his usual annoying manner.

Of course, The Three Lights were busy, again. They had only just gotten Hikari back and now the boys were gone. It seemed unfair that the two Idols could not be in the same place for very long. Usagi often heard them on the radio and saw them on the TV nearly as many times as she did Hikari. So, how is it that Hikari was able to attend school but not the Three Lights?

"Usagi?"

Usagi jumped out of her chair. "Makoto?" She breathed. Makoto was leaning over staring curiously at her. "Ah! Good morning!" She greeted.

"Good Morning. You're here really early!" Makoto laughed quietly. "It's refreshing to see!"

"I just woke up ready and refreshed for today!" Usagi said, pumping a fist in the air.

Makoto giggled. "We could get used to that!" Usagi nodded dramatically then noticed a few more classmates filing in. She and Makoto called out a greeting. Soon after Minako also arrived but stopped dead in the doorway then proceeded to race out of the classroom returning with a harried looking Ami.

"Ami! Look! Tell me, is that Usagi?" Minako cried in disbelief, shaking a finger in Usagi's direction. Usagi puffed up her chest.

"Ha ha! I beat you to school today, Minako!"

Ami straightened her glasses. "Good morning, Usagi. It's good to see you so enthusiastic about school. Perhaps we should make use of it and have a study session during lunch?" Usagi and Minako immediately shrank away from Ami shaking their heads in fear.

"Good Morning!" A cheery voice called from behind Ami. The young girl jumped, spinning around meeting Hikari's face.

"Hi-Hikari! You frightened me!"

"Well, you seemed to be torturing the others, so I thought to give you a scare." She explained, winking. She consoled Minako and Usagi who were giving her an embellished account of what Ami had just said. Hikari gently patted their heads, assuring them that she would never allow that to happen and insisted that they come to the music room where she would sing for them to take away their school work worries. Ami and Makoto merely laughed at the others.

The school bell rang and Ami left as the others took their seats. Their teacher entered the room and set about writing on the board, calling their class president to the front.

"It is time once again for the school festival!" The president announced. "We will be doing a food stand this year so now it is time to figure out what kind of food we want to serve. We only have a week to prepare, so everyone, let's work hard!"

* * *

"Hotaru!" Michiru called from the downstairs hallway. "Usagi is on the phone!"

The young girl jumped out of her room and thundered down the stairs, snatching the phone from Michiru's hand. "Hello!" She chirped.

"Hotaru! Have I got something fun for you!" Usagi said on the other line.

Michiru returned to the kitchen, finished up their dinner. Haruka was in the garage and Setsuna was watching the news. Despite the invaders on their planet, Michiru loved their family time. It took away her worries and fears and allowed her to laugh and play with everyone. She could hardly wait for the day when she and the others would finally live in peace. Ami had mentioned it before, the other girls' trip into the future. There had been peace, a long peace prior to the Dark Moon's invasion. Michiru longed for that future to arrive: to be able to raise Hotaru in a world without war, in a place where the little one would not have to fight ever again. She smiled to herself, that day WILL come.

"Something smells good." Haruka said appearing behind her lover, nuzzling her neck.

Michiru giggled, "Well, I would hope so; it is your favorite after all."

"Great! I'm going to go clean up!" She said, heading to the bathroom, sidestepping an exuberant Hotaru. "Watch it, kiddo!"

"Michiru, Michiru!" Hotaru called, jumping up and down in place. "Usagi's school is having a festival and she has extra tickets for the public day! Oh please, oh please can-we-go-please?!"

Michiru laughed outright, putting her hands on the bouncing girl's shouldering trying to steady her. "Yes, that sounds fine. I'm sure it will be nice to see everyone." She agreed.

Hotaru jumped high screaming, "Yippee!" Before rushing back to the phone, "Usagi, Michiru said yes!"

Setsuna came into the kitchen. "I'll set the table if you're nearly done." She offered.

"Yes. Thank you."

Setsuna took out the appropriate number of plates and cutlery, and began placing them around the dining table. She spoke to Michiru over the breakfast counter. "We're going to the girls' school festival?"

"Yes, it seems that Usagi invited Hotaru. Since she had such a weak body before, I don't think she could attend any. I'm sure Usagi remembered that and took this chance to include her." Michiru answered.

Setsuna smiled. "It'll be good for her."

Haruka re-entered the kitchen, taking the pot Michiru handed her to the dining room. "But won't we see those three there?" She asked.

"I imagine so. They are in the same class but they may not attend." Michiru mused. "I don't think Hoshiko will be there either. It would be unfair if the class used them to get more customers and won the stall competition because of that."

"You could be right." Haruka agreed.

"Hotaru, please get off the phone. It's supper time!" Setsuna called into the hallway.

* * *

Yaten collapsed on the couch, exhausted. They had just returned from doing a radio and a variety show interview. This, of course, came after they had spent the morning shooting a commercial for a new drink and the afternoon they had in the studio writing some new music. It had been a busy day and Yaten, for one, was happy to be home. Taiki had gone into the kitchen to locate dinner for all of them and Seiya claimed the shower for himself. Yaten snatched the TV remote and turned it onto the entertainment news. The top story was them. Yaten grinned. Hikari was busy balancing her "normal life" and her Idol life and could not devote as much time as they could to her career. They were on top once again. Ousting Hoshiko from the top spot helped them gain more ground. If she noticed that she was waning, it could become problematic for them but for the time being they would focus on their own success and not hers. They could not afford to forget, not again. Yaten flung himself off the couch. _Shit!_ "Ah, Taiki, do you need help?" He asked, trying to distract himself.

"Uh, no, I'm just going to put this in the oven and we'll be eating in twenty minutes. Why don't you go let Seiya know?"

"Ok!" Yaten agreed, heading up the stairs. He could still hear the shower running. He knocked on the door. "Seiya? Hey, Taiki wanted me to let you know dinner will be ready in twenty so don't take all night."

"Got it!" Seiya called back.

With the message delivered, Yaten thought to go to his room and get a few things taken care of before dinner. He waltzed down the hall, whistling a cheery tune.

In the bathroom, Seiya rinsed the conditioner out of his hair and shut off the water. He wrapped a towel around his middle, and stepped out. Shivering in the cool air, he sought out the dryer and took to getting his hair dried off. The warm air from the dryer soothed him and he lost himself to his thoughts. The three of them had been working really hard this last week, they had risen back to the top but they would have to keep up with all of the hard work they have had to do to stay there. He knew very well that it took little effort for Hoshiko to topple them and with how things were going; it was something they could not allow. He had not seen the Idol since that day in school, the day that had him torn in two. He was happy to stay away. If he got too close, he could feel himself falling further away from his goal. It was not like with Usagi. Usagi gave him peace of mind and took away his troubles with her warm light, but Hikari presented a whole different danger, one he was not eager to explore at present.

That last day that they had been in school, the one following his time with Hikari on the beach, Seiya had wanted to talk to her, to straighten any kind of misunderstanding she had of him. He wanted to know if they were pretending **it** had not happened or if they were ignoring **it** altogether. Seiya did not think he could handle it if she said that they would ignore it. He did not want to be ignored. Though in the end, it did not matter. He was not able to speak with her at lunch and when he tried to catch her after school, she was completely surrounded by her fans waiting at the gate. It was the same night he had those nightmares; the what-ifs chased her from his mind. She was another factor, not physically dangerous like the Senshi were; she was hazardous in other ways that threatened the strength of his heart. He could not think of her now. He had to remain focused. He would speak with Hikari again, when his Princess was found. He would go to her. He would speak with her. Seiya did not know what he would say, but he knew he could not leave without doing that much.

With his hair now dried, Seiya pulled on some casual clothes from his room, heading for the stairs. He paused by Yaten's room, his eyes widening at what he heard. He threw the door open without bothering to knock. "Cut it out! What do you think you're doing?!" Seiya shouted angrily.

Yaten dropped the dirty clothes he had in his arms. "What the hell are you talking about? And don't just barge into my room like that!" Yaten yelled back.

"You were whistling one of HER songs!" Seiya accused.

Yaten stopped. He stared at his brother trying to recall what it had been that he was whistling. _Shit! _He tried to play it off. "Whatever, won't happen again." He said dismissively. He stooped to pick up the clothes he dropped. Seiya stomped in and pulled Yaten up by his collar.

"You are always so quick to accuse me of forgetting, of not thinking about our Princess first; you should only be focusing on OUR music, not someone else's!" Seiya yelled in Yaten's face. "We don't have time for anything else!" He shoved Yaten away, leaving the room and running down the stairs.

Seiya knew he had been harsh. He knew he would have to apologize for it later but for now he was too angry. Yaten and Taiki were always quick to accuse him of wrong doing. They always thought that he had forgotten their mission, their Princess. First it was Usagi and now Hikari threatens to overwhelm them. They needed to find their Princess. It was too dangerous here. There had been too many close calls, too many "what ifs" that they could afford no more. If the fight for this planet came to a head while they were still here, she could get involved and lose her life. Seiya did not want any of them to die but his duty had him putting his – their - Princess first. It was not fair that while he would not allow himself to even think of the others that Yaten could be so happily oblivious to his own actions. It made him sick.

It was up to him. They had to stay on top of things and as the leader; he would see to it, he would ensure it.

* * *

Leaving the radio studio, Hoshiko stopped to sign a few dozen autographs with her fans. She was dressed to the nines in sleek black jeans and a crimson top and all the appropriate trappings that suited an Idol. Her jeans alone probably cost more than some of the fans' whole outfit. She tried hard not to think about the cost of fame and how it separated her from normal people. She would rather perform with them in mind. She would sing for them, she would dance for them; she would spend hours in the studio thinking and writing a new song just for them. It was all for the fans and she loved every minute of it, even the hard times.

"Thank you!" The last fan, a girl around twelve, was grinning ear to ear as she raced back to her parents showing them what she had.

Hoshiko smiled warmly before she turned around and headed back to her dressing room where Neb was waiting for her. She found her friend lounging on the couch, reading.

"Hey there!" She greeted, plopping on the opposite couch, sinking into it.

Neb put her book away. "How did it go?"

"Fine. I made the DJ blush. It was cute. The audience thought it was funny, too."

"Careful, he might fall for you." Neb giggled. "Are you going to change before we leave?" Hikari nodded, rising to her feet. She replaced her Idol outfit with her school uniform that she had come to work wearing. It was not a well kept secret that she went to school or where she attended but few expected her to wander around in the uniform so it made for the best cover.

"Isn't your school festival in a few days? I thought you would be busy helping them?" Neb asked while gathering their things from the room. In times like these, she played the role of Hoshiko's manager.

"They should have already left the school by now and I can't really participate in it. I can help put it together and help behind the scenes but no one can know. If we got a whole lot of people expecting to see me and I was there helping, it would not be fair to the other classes. I already spoke to the teacher about it." Hikari straightened her skirt and snatched her bag from the counter, announcing, "I'm ready."

"I suppose you are right, but it seems to me that it is a shame. After all," Neb pulled the dressing room door open checking the hallway before allowing Hikari to leave, "The whole reason why you wanted to go to school was for a semblance of a normal life."

Hikari went ahead of Neb when she gave the all clear, leading the way through the confusing building, "If I wanted to have a real normal life, I would have to give this up altogether. I'll make allowances here and there to keep both. This is just one of those." She grinned. "I'm having fun though. I helped Makoto design the dresses the girls are going to wear, and the tea part of the menu. It'll be fun for everyone and I helped make it possible."

Neb shook her head, "No matter how you spin the idea, it sounds like a maid café."

"It's a coffee shop!" Hikari cried indignantly.

* * *

Ok, I know, its a filler chapter without anything substantial happening in it. It's also probably going to be the last one like that. We're getting into the final phase. Not there yet but if anyone has seen the series, they should know what is next! ;) I dearly hope that Hikari and Neb aren't too bland. They're still developing somewhat. The next chapter is finished, its got a lot to it, your head might spin! Still not telling anyone anything! That's still a long way off. . . (not the chapter, the explanation of. . . . . yeah. . . . . )

I have the next four chapters planned, it'll be a four part saga of some serious action!

Please Review! I love hearing from you!


	14. Chapter 13: Festival

*formally bows low* I do apologize for the time it has taken to get this out. Thank you to everyone who are still following and reading. Thank you so much!

Also, a word of warning: this has exact wording and scenes from the series, soooo, SPOILERS! You've been warned, again.

And since I haven't done this since the first chapter: Disclaimer, I own nothing of Sailor Moon! No rights to it, didn't create it, nada. And I'm not making any money from this, clearly.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 13

Festival

Everyone at Tenth High School had been working hard all week in preparation for the school festival the following day. Even though school hours were long past, the school was still packed with students working late into the evening on each of their stands.

In class 1-1, Usagi was finishing up a sign for their coffee shop menu. Her fellow classmates were arranging tables, and putting up decorations.

"Hi, everyone!" Minako called from the doorway.

"Is it ready?" Usagi asked expectantly, looking up from her poster board. Minako was dressed head to toe in a black and white maid outfit, with a lace hat. Makoto stood just behind her carrying a folded dress.

"Tada!" Minako posed prettily. "How do you like it? Good?"

The entire class gaped openly. The style of the dress was modest in length and a bit poufy complete with a white, lace apron; it was a perfect maid outfit for their coffee shop!

Makoto held up the dress she was carrying. "It's still being stitched but it should look like this!" Their classmates gathered around, admiring the lovely dresses.

"Looks cute!" Usagi squealed, excitedly.

"The outfit looks fabulous because the model is good!" Minako boasted before dissolving into giggles, "I knew it! I should be Miss Tenth High, right?!"

Usagi pulls the dress Makoto was carrying over her uniform, twirling around giddily. "I look cute with this as well!"

"Hey!" Minako groused.

Usagi stopped twirling and examined the dress. She pinched at the sides, stretching it out, frowning slightly. "But it's big around the waist." She pointed out.

Makoto smiled. "Oh! I used Minako's measurements."

Usagi glanced tauntingly at Minako. "Oh?" She teased; the other students also grinning, poking fun at their classmate.

"You're trying to provoke me, aren't you?" Minako growled.

After their classmates were done messing with Minako, she and Usagi changed out of the costumes and resumed work. They hung a few of the menu signs that Usagi had made and were getting their makeshift kitchen in the corner of the room ready for use. They would be finished soon but the girls had a night ahead of them completing their costumes. Most of the work was done, as Makoto had said, but their festival was the next day so they couldn't relax until it was absolutely finished. Usagi, Minako and Makoto were taking a short break by the window.

"A school festival is exciting, isn't it?!" Makoto smiled, leaning against the open window. "We got to stay together this late!"

"That's why it's a school festival!" Minako said, excitedly.

Makoto's smile grew bigger. "Right!"

Usagi grinned. "Besides that I like the atmosphere; everyone's mind is united as one! I believe it's important for everyone to work together." Usagi's grin faded, and she looked away.

Sensing the direction of her thoughts, Makoto called to her, intending to cheer her up, "Usagi," The radio that the students' had been listening to while they worked interrupted Makoto with Nagareboshi he (Search For Your Love). Usagi's head snapped up at the song. It got very quiet in the classroom as everyone paused, listening to their classmates' song.

"They're still singing." Minako commented.

Makoto smiled. "I hope they can come to see us."

Usagi nodded silently.

* * *

Seiya pounded furiously on a set of drums that he and his brothers had set up in their living room. They had been writing music all day at home. Seiya had been a little distant from Yaten after what had happened a few days prior and because of that, Yaten was being very conscientious about what he said and did around Seiya; he did not what him to explode at him again. Taiki had just called an end to their writing nearly an hour ago and since that time Seiya has been on the drum set. It was evident to his brothers that something was bothering him, but neither wanted to interrupt him either. Taiki just allowed him to play while he sat with his head bowed in thought, letting the beat wash over him. Yaten was viewing the scene as something else; that Seiya might still be mad at him. He wanted to say something, anything, to get him to stop and talk openly to them. Yaten sighed; at the very least the continual beat was in rhythm and sounded good.

"Why don't you finish it?" Yaten said, wearily.

Seiya stopped abruptly, cursing. He stood, shoulders hunched and shaking. "It's like we're being teased!" He shouted. "We sang, sang and sang! Our message should have reached her! Why hasn't our Princess appeared?!" He growled. "Why?!" Seiya threw his drumsticks to the floor, the clattering sound they made bringing him back down from his angry outburst. He needed to cool down. He took a deep breath and stalked past his brothers to the door. Yaten glanced from the corners of his eyes, not wanting to make any sudden movements.

"Where are you going?" He ventured to ask.

"To cool down." Seiya paused to say before leaving.

"Seiya!" Yaten called, standing. _What was with him?_ It seemed to Yaten that Seiya had become tense and moody in the last few weeks. It was possible he was reaching his limit. That their extended stay on Earth and the long absence of their Princess was driving Seiya into a corner. They needed to locate her. It was true what Seiya had said, their message should have reached her by now.

Taiki, who had remained perfectly still throughout the whole episode, calmly whispered aloud to himself, "It's true that our Princess is near."

Yaten looked quizzically at his brother. _What does he mean? I know that I once could smell-_ "I felt it, too" He said, recalling that moment after the Idol auditions; the one he had recently dreamed about. Shuddering and shoving those memories away, he said to Taiki. "The scent of our Princess from that little girl."

Taiki looked up finally. Yaten had never told him about that. "Are you saying that girl has a clue?" He asked. He had also sensed the same from the small child that Usagi said was her little sister. Could there be a connection between that child and their Princess. It sounded absurd but the chance that there could be something was not to be ignored.

Yaten grinned mischievously. "If so, it should be easy."

* * *

Seiya wandered aimlessly around the city, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. It was not fair. It could not be fair. The three of them had worked hard for months and months. Why? Why would their Princess not appear? They knew she had to be on this planet, in this country; they could follow her energy to a point but that was the extent of it. Seiya paused and stood at the railing of the pedestrian bridge he was crossing. He looked out over the city, the bright lights and the people milling about. He heard it then, a faint sound, probably from a car on the street below him; it was one of their songs. It was one of their songs that they wrote and sang to tell their Princess that they were here and they were looking for her. He sighed heavily. "This town is filled with our song. Why doesn't it reach her?" He scratched his head angrily and flung himself away from the railing, shoving his hands back into his pockets and continued down off of the bridge.

He trudged through the streets, around corners, down alleyways, his thoughts jumbled. He was angry that they were working so hard to be heard but had heard nothing in kind; he was hurting, thinking that maybe their Princess was ignoring them. He wanted to find her. He needed to find her. She was the key to everything important to him. It was with her that everything would come to a head. Their mission would be complete; their time here would be – over. Seiya stopped walking, his head hanging. It would all be over. From there on, no matter what the situation, their Princess would be calling the shots and deciding what they did. However, with that would come finality to everything: he would be able to answer some questions in his heart, ones he had been ignoring for a while now. He shook his head; now was not the time to think on them.

Seiya continued down the residential street he was on, glancing up from the ground every so often so he would not bump into anyone. Rounding a corner he stopped dead. In front of him, four houses down, there was a person, a woman standing on the sidewalk. Was it a person? Could it be a ghost? She appeared to be so ethereal with the moon encasing her in its glow that there was no way she was human.

She stood gracefully straight, her pale arms folded behind her. Her face was looking skyward, a quiet expression spread across it. Her long silver hair floated behind her, swirling in a wind that Seiya could not feel. Her long, white gown floated around her and was it not for the barest hint of her feet glimpsing from under her dress, Seiya would swear that she was hovering off the ground.

She seemed so intent at whatever she was staring at that she had yet to notice Seiya. For himself, Seiya could not move, he was so entranced. His heart felt light, his mind clear. He wondered who she could be why she was out by herself and he was admittedly curious about what had her so enraptured. Without realizing it, his body had begun to move closer to her. Seiya thought, as he got closer, that she seemed – felt – familiar. But he knew only one person with that appearance and that color of hair and it was not her that he was staring at. Hikari's roommate, Neb, had silver hair but her stature was smaller though every bit as graceful. No, this was not the same person.

Seiya stepped on a fallen leaf, the barely making a sound but it had been enough. The young woman's head snapped in his direction, her gold eyes flashing. Seiya reached a hand out, meaning to say something consoling but in the next instant she was gone. Seiya rushed forward, stopping where she had been. He looked frantically about, trying to find a clue about where she had gone. He could hear no footsteps or see any trailing bit of silver hair or her white gown. Seiya was disoriented. Had he really just seen a ghost? Was she even human? To move so quickly without making any noise, who was she, what was she? _What had she been staring at?_

Seiya looked around where he assumed the girl had been staring. There was nothing in the sky for her to see; the moon was in a different direction and he could see no stars. Then Seiya realized that she had appeared to be looking skyward but the girl was to be shorter than him, _so, _he thought, correcting his gaze, _she was looking a bit further down and was staring at-_

A house; a two story house with a large window on the second level that had a balcony outside. "Wait, this is her house!" Seiya gasped. "How did I end up here? I must be stupid!" He sought to leave in that moment when he heard a door on the house slide open.

* * *

Usagi sat at her bedroom table, bent over her costume, putting the finishing touches on it. Her radio was on, the Three Light's music filling her room. Chibi Chibi was curled up on her bed, dressed in her blue bunny onesie clutching her favorite incense burner to her chest, fast asleep.

Usagi hummed quietly along to the music, a small smile on her face as she worked. She was nearly done with it, and then she could curl up with the little red head asleep on her bed and rest till the big day tomorrow. Usagi suddenly could smell lilacs. Curious about where it was coming from, she glanced up. It was then she spied a red butterfly floating around her room. "What? A butterfly?" The creature flew towards the balcony door then disappeared. Usagi stood up, wondering if she was imagining things. She pulled open her door, holding her sweater she had draped over her shoulders on her PJ's. She glanced about, stepping outside, looking for a bit of red anywhere. "What was that?" She wondered before she saw a movement down by her house's front gate. "Who's there?" She called.

"Yo!" Seiya replied.

Usagi knew that voice. She looked closer, recognizing Seiya. "Seiya? Just a second, I'll be right down!" She said, turning to go back in. It must be important if he was coming to see her at this time of night. What if someone was hurt?

Seiya stopped her. "That's alright!" Usagi turned back around, looking quizzically at him. He smiled softly. "I'm just happy to see your face."

Usagi blushed lightly at that. "You're weird aren't you?" Seiya's smile grew. "Guys are called a Peeping Tom when you come to see a pretty girl's room at night." She teased.

"Talkative as always." Seiya chuckled, looking down. When he looked back up, Usagi had a kind smile, and he smiled in return. _She can always put me at easy. Why is that?_ "Nice to see you! Bye!" He said, turning to leave, after all, she was right, he should not be there in the middle of the night; whether it was by accident or not.

"Seiya!" Usagi called, leaning on her railing. He paused, turning around. "Tomorrow we're having a school festival. I know you're busy but if you can visit us it'll make everyone happy!"

"What's our class doing?"

"A Coffee Shop!" She replied cheerfully.

Seiya frowned. "That's mediocre!"

Usagi scowled. "I don't think so! Look at our outfits!" She ran in to grab her dress, returning to hold it up. "Tada! Isn't it pretty! Makoto and Hikari worked hard on them!" She said folding it over her arms, too oblivious to notice Seiya wince. "Makoto's cake is unforgettably good! She'll be baking it for the customers."

Usagi felt something crawling up her back. "Chibi . . . . . Chibi. . ." The small girl leaned over Usagi's shoulder, still half asleep. Usagi plucked her off her shoulder and held her out in front of her. "Sorry, did I wake you?" She cried apologetically.

Seiya grinned at the two. "I'll go," He said softly. Usagi's head shot up. "To the festival." He said louder.

"Really?" Usagi asked hopefully. Seiya nodded then saluted, calling out, "Good Night!" Before tucking his hands in his pockets, walking away without waiting for a reply.

Usagi smiles gently, holding Chibi Chibi in her arms. "Good night." She says softly.

Seiya was in a good mood now. Visiting Usagi, however unintentional it had been, proved to be exactly what he needed. He felt recharged. A flicker of red from the corner of his eye caught his attention. _A butterfly?_ The little red insect floated up and up, disappearing into Usagi's room. "That scent was –" He stared curiously at the spot where the butterfly had vanished. "Why are things disappearing in front of me tonight?" He sighed.

* * *

Sailor Red Crow had been charged with the unpleasant task of cleaning off Sailor Aluminum Siren's work desk. She was unfortunate enough to spy the framed photo of her and her late rival right as she had begun her task. She plucked it from the desktop, recalling better times with Aluminum Siren. Red Crow stifled her sobs, not allowing single sound to escape, knowing that her new coworker would jump on any weakness she displayed. It was a tragedy that Aluminum Siren had died, her bracelets taken by Madam Galaxia when she failed to produce a real star seed. Red Crow had begged her Mistress to spare Siren, but she did not. Now Red Crow was left without her rival, a person she had been with before she could remember. Red Crow shook her head, pulling her thoughts back together, moving on with her task. She could not get emotional over this. She could not show weakness.

She sat the framed picture of the two of them down, opening the top desk drawer to put it away. On top of the pile of papers and books in the drawer was a small spiral notebook that read "Siren's Secret: Don't Look." Red Crow laughed internally. Siren was good at her job, but she was still very naïve. Red Crow picked up the book, flipping through it. She arrived at the last few pages, skimming through it when she tripped across familiar words, very familiar words: the Real Star Seed. Red Crow gasped, nearly dropping the book. "What's this?"

Red Crow could not believe what she had stumbled upon. Her rival really had found it. If what she had written here was true, no, it had to be true. Siren did not lie. This was big. This would change everything. Red Crow could avenge Siren's needless death with this. She could take back what was taken from her. She needed to see Madam Galaxia; Red Crow needed permission to return to Earth.

Red Crow quickly stuffed the notebook in her vest, spinning and strutting down the corridor. She tried very hard to keep the smirk off of her face. This would put that upstart Sailor Tin Nyanko in her place. Red Crow would make her kowtow before Siren's desk and beg for forgiveness. It was her fault Madam Galaxia had killed Siren; Tin Nyanko would pay.

Red Crow arrived at the sealed off elevator doors. She swiped her card on the access panel to her right, the doors swishing open. She knelt under the boards crisscrossing the doorway. When the doors closed she had arrived in Madam Galaxia's throne room, dressed once again in her familiar red leather sailor suit.

"In other words, you haven't found it yet?" Sailor Red Crow heard Madam Galaxia fiercely ask. She saw Sailor Tin Nyanko in front of the throne, bowing lower by the second.

"Well, I mean-" Nyanko stuttered, drawing back.

While Red Crow wanted to see the girl suffer more, she had come here with a purpose. As they were already on the topic, she thought she just might interject rather than give the full story.

She bowed. "Let me handle it." She proclaimed. "I finally found the host of a real Star Seed."

Galaxia narrowed her eyes at her. Nyanko shouted, "Don't lie to us!"

"Be Quiet!" Galaxia commanded, not sparing Nyanko a look.

"Do you swear by it?" She asked.

"I swear on my life." Red Crow stated confidently.

"I won't tolerate failure." Galaxia reminded her.

Red Crow bowed lower. "Yes."

* * *

Tenth High School's festival was a huge hit! The school had been packed since it opened early that morning. Various family members and friends from the neighborhood had been milling about and shopping all day. The biggest hit of the festival was not a shop stall but rather a simple coffee shop on the second floor in the first year's corridor.

The sign above the door to the 1-1 class read Little Tenth Beauty Coffee Shop. The waitresses were dressed in knee length black dresses with a long frilly white apron over them and they had cute little lace hats atop their heads. The shop was crowded with patrons, all smiling and looking around expectantly.

At a table near the window sat a student of the school, another student in a brown and gray uniform, and a small red haired child who was putting as much cake as she could fit into her mouth. A plate with a beautifully, smelling yellow cake slide onto the table.

"Thank you for waiting." Minako said. Ami and Rei looked up, thanking her.

"You look pretty nice in that outfit." Rei complimented.

Minako grinned. "Oh defiantly!" She giggled.

Ami took a delicate bite from the cake. "The cake is good too; you seem to have a good reputation." She commented glancing around. Rei looked around too, noticing that nearly every table was either occupied or being cleaned off for a new occupant.

Minako sighed, wishing that was the case. "Well, half of them may be here to see the Three Lights and Hoshiko. I know that Hikari wasn't planning on being here but the other three, I can't confirm."

Rei also sighed, dejectedly. "I don't think they'll come."

Usagi passed by their table, dressed in her waitress costume, smirking deviously. "That's not necessarily true!" She said, flouncing off to the kitchen, giggling. The girls stared for a moment before jumping up and following her. Chibi Chibi cocked her head to the side, "Chibi?" She said. She grinned, downed the last bite of her cake and picked up her yellow balloon and pink bag, heading off to explore the festival on her own.

Makoto was fixing a tea tray and smiled when she saw Usagi entered then noticed the mischievous look on her face. "Usagi? What have you done?" Usagi only grinned wider.

The other girls came barreling in, trapping Usagi in a corner by the windows. For her part, Usagi seemed unconcerned.

"What do you mean 'that's not necessarily true'?" Minako asked. Usagi rubbed her chin, her grin now splitting her face in two.

"Seiya said he'd be here!" Usagi announced.

"Seiya is coming?" Makoto asked, after passing the tea tray off to a classmate.

"No way!" Minako exclaimed!

Usagi shook her head, "He promised!"

"Did you see him?" Ami asked. Usagi nodded.

"When?" Rei asked, pressing closer.

"It's a secret!" Usagi said mysteriously, giggling at her friends' plight. It was so much fun to tease them.

"Unbelievable!" the girls cried in unison. Usagi only giggled more.

"Yo!"

The girls whipped around. Seiya was casually leaning in the doorway. "Seiya!" They cried in disbelief!

Usagi genuinely smiled. "Thanks for coming."

"I just wanted to try some of that cake that Odango recommended." Seiya smiled charmingly.

Makoto gasped. "I ran out!" Seiya looked crestfallen.

"Really?"

Makoto hurried past him, Rei in tow. "I'll make some right away!"

"I'll help too!" Rei volunteered. The two raced to the school kitchens. Seiya watched them retreating. "Seiya!" Usagi called. He looked back at her and the others, grimacing at what she held up.

"Since you're here, do you want to be a waiter for a while?" She asked, looking expectantly at the maid's dress she held up for him.

"No, I'm a little reluctant." He said hesitantly.

* * *

"Over here! Look at that!" Hotaru shouted, pointed at a pastry stall. "Can we have some? Please?" She begged Setsuna, tugging on the woman's arm. Setsuna smiled warmly.

"Yes. Pick out what you would like." Hotaru cheered and darted to the cart.

Michiru was nearby at a game cart watching Haruka play a tossing game. Haruka just won her latest round and was picking out the large white bear with a big red bow tied around its neck from the very top. Michiru giggled when Haruka bowed and presented the stuffed animal to her. "Thank you." She said, hugging it.

Haruka put her arm around Michiru's waist. "Anything for you." Michiru blushed prettily.

"Haruka! Michiru! Do you want a crepe?" Hotaru called, waving madly at them from the food stall. The two shook their heads. Hotaru and Setsuna joined them in the fairway with a crepe each. Hotaru was happily munching away, pointing at various stalls and signs excitedly. They had been at the festival for nearly an hour already. Haruka pulled out a map that detailed the stalls, classes, and show times for various acts and performances the students were doing.

"Let's see, the kittens will be in the building on the second level." She located the coffee shop on the map. "Geez! It's on the other side of the campus!"

"That's ok. They'll still be there even if we take all afternoon. Let's just look around and make our way there." Michiru said, clutching Haruka's arm in one hand and the bear in another. Haruka smiled at her, agreeing.

"Hey, isn't that-?" Setsuna pointed at a game cart. A young girl with her long black hair tied back in a single pony tail was picking a small prize from the student operating the cart. When the girl turned around, Hotaru gasped, "Hikari?!"

The girl's head shot in Hotaru's direction and before anyone around them could notice, she raced to Hotaru's side, clamping a hand over her mouth and holding a single finger to her lips. "Shhhh!" She hissed. She glanced in each direction to see if anyone had noticed her. When all appeared to be clear, she breathed a sigh of relief. She pulled her sunglasses off, revealing emerald eyes.

"Hotaru, how did you notice me?" Hikari asked. "I thought I was disguised well enough!"

Haruka looked the Idol over. Indeed, had it been anyone but them, she would have remained hidden. She wore flip flops, simple blue jeans, a white top, a green ball cap pulled over her black hair that was tied normally, a short braid then freely flowing but it was in a single tail instead of two. It was too bad for her that the four of them were trained to be very perceptive. Even Setsuna who had not formally met the girl could recognize her.

"Setsuna noticed you first!" Hotaru chirped, grabbing Hikari's hand. "I only saw you after she pointed you out. But don't worry, I think we're the only ones and we won't tell!"

"Oh? That's how it was." Hikari looked at the older women, formally greeting each of them. "Good afternoon."

"Miss Aso." Michiru greeted. "This is Setsuna Meioh. Setsuna, this is the much talked about, Hikari Aso."

"Nice to meet you." Hikari bowed. "And you can call me Hikari."

"The pleasure is mine, Hikari." Setsuna returned.

"Are you not working at your class' stall?" Haruka asked. "Skipping out?" She teased.

"Oh no! Nothing like that! It's just, it would be unfair if I was working and there were a lot of customers because of that. I even told the class I wouldn't show up at all so no one would expect to see me today." Hikari explained; Hotaru swung their joined hands back and forth.

"Does that mean that you aren't busy? Could you show us around?" She asked, her eyes growing big and expectant.

Hikari grinned. "I can do that!"

Hotaru cheered, "Yay! Let's go get some food then!" She cried, tossing the wrapper of her crepe in the trash and snatching Setsuna's hand to drag along with her.

"Hey! Don't get too far ahead" Haruka called after the three, laughing. She pulled Michiru along, following the others at a slower pace.

Hikari laughed along with Hotaru, picking out a stall with Takoyaki, she changed their direction. "This one! I've heard it's the best!" She said. She ordered three boxes of eight for all of them to share. She refused when Setsuna tried to pay. "No, no! My treat!" She winked playfully. Hikari passed out the boxes and they continued along the fairway, munching on their food. They passed a few more shops, getting a cool drink when they had finished the last of their Takoyaki.

Hikari had just downed the last of her lemonade and was tossing it in the trash when she spied a little red haired girl wandering around by herself. She had a yellow balloon floating above her, and was carrying a box of Takoyaki from the same stall they had gotten theirs. "I wonder whose child she is?" Hikari mused aloud. "What peculiar hair."

Hotaru dashed up to Hikari. "Hey! We saw a haunted house down the way! Let's go check it out!" Hotaru said, pulling Hikari along.

"Ok - sounds like fun." She said sarcastically, grudgingly allowing to be dragged.

* * *

Yaten and Taiki had also turned up at the fair. They had opted to first try locating the girl in a public place rather than storming into her house demanding to see her. They had hoped that Usagi might take her little sister to the school festival. The two of them had been looking for nearly a half hour before a familiar scent caught their attention.

"There!" Yaten pointed down by the building. The little girl, Chibi Chibi, was wandering around by herself, a balloon with a silly face in hand. The small child had spotted a butterfly and was chasing after it. "Let's go!" Yaten said. He and Taiki moved stealthily through the crowd, it would be better for them if they could avoid being spotted by anyone as they had not donned disguises for this.

They remained hidden, trailing the girl from the shadows. She rounded a corner that they knew lead to a courtyard where there were no stalls. They checked the area, finding no students or visitors in sight. Rather than approaching the child, they stayed back and out of sight. Chibi Chibi sat down under a tree. She pulled her small pink bag around to her lap. Opening it revealed her red incense burner that she had started to carry everywhere with her. She smiled gleefully when the red butterfly she had been chasing landed on it.

Suddenly two shadows loomed over her, the butterfly disappeared. Chibi Chibi looked up curiously.

Taiki and Yaten stood over her, the air around them tense. "May we have that?" Taiki asked, straightening his sunglasses.

Chibi Chibi stood, clutching the burner to her, shaking her head furiously. "No!"

Yaten fiercely ripped his sunglasses from his face. "No doubt!" He cried, eyeing the red ornate burner. "That's our Princess' incense burner!"

* * *

You would think that this would be easier having episodes already doing the work for you! It's not! I'll try to have the next chapter out quickly.

Also, I'll try to figure out how to upload pictures on here. I have something I'd like to share with you kind, thoughtful, and magnificent readers!

Please review! *bows formally*


	15. Chapter 14: Target

So, here's the next chapter! I humbly thank you for the patience you have had with me and my horribly slow updates. I'm also thinking of creating a Tumblr for this store since I see so many others have. I wonder how well it would be received there? I could do things like asks, and post some story art I'm cooking up and even more sailor moon stuff in general. What do you guys think? I'm also probably gonna change my pen name on here. It's something I've had for years that I just don't like anymore...

SPOILER WARNINGS: THIS CHAPTER, LIKE THE PREVIOUS, HAS WORD FOR WORD SCENES FROM THE ANIME EPISODES!

ALSO, I _STILL_ DO NOT OWN SAILOR MOON and I cry so often over it...

* * *

Chapter 14

Target

_Yaten fiercely ripped his sunglasses from his face. "No doubt!" He cried, eyeing the red ornate burner. "That's our Princess' incense burner!"_

Makoto and Rei were heading back to the classroom laden with a serving tray carrying the cake they had made especially for Seiya.

"Looks nice and yellow." Rei commented, admiring their work.

Makoto smiled. "Do you think Seiya will like it?"

"Of course!"

Makoto turned to Rei, about to comment when she saw something move outside the windows next to them. It was Taiki and Yaten in the courtyard. "They're here too?" Makoto wondered. Rei looked behind her.

"They're both in their uniforms; did they come here for the festival like Seiya?" Rei pondered. She spotted something red in front of the two. It moved frantically when Taiki stretched out a hand towards it. "Chibi Chibi!" Rei cried, recognizing the red headed child. She appeared to be frightened. What were those two doing?

"How terrible!" Makoto gasped. "Rei, call everyone!" Makoto put the serving tray down, hurrying out to the courtyard. Rei raced off in the other direction, heading back to the classroom.

* * *

Yaten could hardly believe what he saw in the little girl's hand! _How on earth did she get a hold of that? Does she even understand what it is?_

Taiki held out his hand to Chibi Chibi. "Now, please hand it over." He said forcefully.

Chibi Chibi grasped the incense burner fearfully. "No! No!" She shouted.

Taiki and Yaten took a step forward. It was their Princess', there was no reason for that child to have it. They did not want to use force on her, but thought that intimidation might work.

Chibi Chibi was frightened. Very frightened. She darted away, trying to escape the two men who wanted her treasure. She had thought that they were friends of her sister but now they were bullying her! Yaten cut off her escape, appearing in front of her. He glared down, holding out his hand this time, "Now, hand it to me." He demanded.

Chibi Chibi cried again, "No!" and ran in the opposite direction. Her head down, her eyes, closed, she hoped to escape. She only got a few steps into her stride when her toe tripped over a rock. "Chibi Chibi!" She howled, bracing to meet the ground. When she landed on something much softer than the dirt, she pried open her eyes, "Chibi Chibi?" She said, curiously, looking up to a kind face and soft words.

"Are you ok, Chibi Chibi?" Makoto asked, hugging the little girl.

"Chibi!" She replied happily. Makoto internally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Don't worry." She assured her. She then glared up at the two men before her. "What do you want?" She growled.

Taiki hesitated a moment. They had been trying to get their Princess' possession back but Makoto did not know that. Nor did she need to know. They had managed to come this far without letting anyone know their mission, there was little reason to allow it now. They could still succeed. Taiki knew that this looked bad, badgering and cornering a small child but for now, they would play the villains if it meant getting what they wanted. He leaned a hand against a tree meaning to respond vaguely and rudely to Makoto's question but Yaten answered before Taiki could form the words.

"Don't interfere!" He warned harshly. Standing, Makoto put Chibi Chibi behind her.

"We don't have to tell you." Taiki added.

Makoto scoffed. "I don't want to listen to those who bully little girls!" Chibi Chibi, now with a protector, glared at Taiki and Yaten as though daring them to try to get her treasure now.

_So be it._ Yaten glowered at Makoto. "I think it's wrong to segregate girls from kids." He provoked.

"What?!"

"Or are you saying," Yaten suddenly appeared, slightly crouched, in front of Makoto, his jade eyes goading her to do something. "'Don't be too serious because I'm a girl'?"

Makoto had enough of his condescending attitude. "Why you!" She swung her clenched fist to slug him across his arrogant face but he stepped coolly out of the way, effortlessly catching her punch. When she tried to pull it back he held onto it tightly, keeping her in place.

"I'll say it again," He gripped her fist tighter, causing her to wince at the pressure he put on her knuckles. "We're not going to let you interfere!" He said, harshly.

"You!"

Yaten's head shot up and in the direction of the voice.

Seiya stood at the front of the group of newcomers, his shout gaining everyone's attention. The girls all stood behind him: Usagi, Rei, Ami and Minako. _Shit. _Yaten knew that he and Taiki could not continue, not without Seiya knowing why. One of the girls was easier to deal with than all five plus Seiya. They needed to explain to him, away from the others. Yaten, maintaining his brusque attitude, pushed Makoto away. She landed hard on her butt, unable to correct her stance quickly.

"Makoto!" Usagi called out.

"What are you doing?" Seiya shouted, not believing the cruelty he saw.

Yaten changed topics. "What are you doing here, Seiya?"

"I hope you didn't come here to see her?" Taiki asked.

"Is it wrong?" Seiya said softly, defiantly.

"What happened?" Taiki asked. Seiya had been so focused lately, why now was he distracted?

"It's because of her!" Yaten accused, glaring at Usagi.

Seiya tried to draw Yaten irritation away from Usagi, "She's irrelevant!"

"Stop manipulating Seiya!" Yaten shouted.

"What?!" Rei cried in disbelief!

"Why are we talking like this?" Usagi asked quietly. Seiya looked back her. The cheerful smile Usagi had been wearing all afternoon had vanished. "I believe we can work together. We can understand each other if we talk openly."

Taiki did not want to hear it; there was no need. They would get what they needed regardless of her pretty speeches. He corrected his sunglasses. "We had better leave. Seiya, I have something to tell you." He said, turning around, indicating that Seiya should follow them.

"Wait, you two!" Usagi pleaded. Taiki paused his stride for a moment.

"This is our problem. It is none of your business." He said without looking back before he continued walking away.

Seiya waited until his brothers' had retreated to a safe distance before he bid Usagi goodbye, apologizing, willing her to understand that he needed to follow. He had questions about this harsh and forceful behavior that they had better be ready to answer. Though, he could not believe that there would be any valid excuse for tormenting Usagi's little sister!

Once Seiya was gone, Usagi rushed to Makoto and Chibi Chibi, who were still on the ground under a large tree. "Are you two alright?" She asked picking Chibi Chibi up to examine her. The young girl smiled cheerfully.

"Chibi!"

"I'm fine, Usagi." Makoto said, picking herself off the ground. Usagi leaned back against the tree, holding Chibi Chibi in her lap. Rei took a seat beside Usagi, watching her very closely. Her earlier tone had Rei worried.

"What were they trying to do?" Ami asked aloud. It was very unlike those two to behave that way. While they were not allies, they also had not given them any reason to bully Chibi Chibi. "I can't believe they tried to attack Chibi Chibi."

Makoto leaned against the tree, folding her arms in anger. "Damn! What were they thinking?" She huffed. It was enough that they had acted that way, but on top of that, she could not do anything about it! Her hand still felt sore from where Yaten had held it in his vice like grip.

"Stop everyone." Usagi beseeched.

Rei had been waiting for that. "Usagi?"

"Seiya, Taiki and Yaten, they're not bad people because they sing such beautiful songs." She explained softly, leaning to look at Rei. "They can't be bad people."

"I finally found you!"

The girls, startled, looked up to find an older woman standing by the school building. She wore a business outfit of tan slacks, a white shirt under a black vest and topped with a black hat to cover her long dark red hair. Her dark sunglasses prevented them from seeing her eyes.

"Who are you?" Minako asked.

The woman did not answer, she merely held up a small note book. "This book my rival left me gave me wonderful information!" She casually commented. "I didn't know that this mediocre young girl has a real Star Seed!" Usagi lowered her head, glaring at the woman. The girls flinched, gathering closer to Usagi. "No wonder I didn't notice, Usagi Tsukino – rather – Sailor Moon!"

The woman flung her clothes from her body revealing a provocative, red, leather outfit! It was Sailor Red Crow! "I'll get your Star Seed!" She proclaimed.

Makoto pulled her green power wand out. "You know everything, don't you?"

"Then," Ami pulled out her blue wand.

Rei held her red power wand tightly in her hand, putting Usagi behind her. "We're going to be very serious."

Minako gripped her orange power wand. "Everyone, Lets transform!"

Usagi nodded resolutely, clenching her locket.

* * *

Taiki and Yaten were walking briskly through the school festival, trying not to be seen but also not taking as much care about it like when they had first arrived. Seiya was several feet behind them, his hands tucked causally in his pockets, smiling at everyone he passed while ignoring Yaten who was continually looking back at him as though to ensure he was still following them.

Seiya was still angry. Those two had no excuse for their actions. Seiya would listen to their explanation, admonish them, and then force them to apologize to Usagi and her sister. Seiya smiled charmingly at a classmate at a food stall as he passed, maintaining his casual gait despite how hurried the other two were. He heard Yaten huff loudly in front of him. He laughed inwardly at his brother's irritation. He was not in a kind mood willing to indulge either of them or their petty problems with the girls. This was his form of rebellion from their prejudice of the others. If they were half as open as he and Odango were, they would not be in such a situation. But they were more concerned with secrecy and general high headedness that they were unable to look beyond it. For now, Seiya hoped.

The three arrived at the parking lot. Taiki led the way to their car at the very back of the lot. Yaten hopped onto the trunk, glaring at Seiya. "Why are you here?" He asked him. Seiya shrugged.

"Why were you bullying a child?" He countered. Yaten opened his mouth to retort when Taiki took a step between the two.

"Stop!" He commanded. "Seiya, I'll overlook why you are here but listen to us first before you say anymore." Seiya gave Taiki a hard stare.

Taiki took it as a means to go ahead and relayed his story. Seiya's expression slowly melded from one of anger and doubt to one of incredulity. "Princess?" He wondered aloud.

"Didn't you sense it? The scent of our Princess?" Taiki asked him.

Yaten nodded, chiming in. "I noticed it around that little girl. The scent of our Princess."

That caught Seiya's attention. What Yaten had just described felt familiar, something that had happened to him recently.

'_A flicker of red from the corner of his eye caught his attention. _A butterfly? _The little red insect floated up and up, disappearing into Usagi's room.'_

_ Then, what I felt yesterday at Odango's house was- _Seiya connected the incident. It was as he had been leaving Usagi's house, he had smelled it, his Princess' distinctive scent of lavender when he saw that butterfly float by. _Could it be?_

Taiki interrupted Seiya's musing. "That little girl has our Princess' incense burner." He informed him. Seiya's head shoot up, his concentration broken.

"What?!" So, that was why these two had been with Usagi's sister. But if what they were saying was true, how did the little girl get it? Did Usagi know?

"If we get the burner, we'll know why the Princess hadn't appeared." Taiki continued.

Seiya growled. "You may be right but you should have talked to them first!" His original irritation at them returning. No matter the circumstance, they were still being too aggressive toward a small child!

"I can't wait!" Yaten shouted! Seiya looked at him, his brother's eyes gleaming, sadly.

"Our Princess is near! I just can't – " He trailed off, looking down.

Seiya felt some of his anger at them abate. They had been impatient, that much was now clear. The two of them may not have meant to confront the child today but after seeing the evidence, they probably charged forward without thinking. Seiya might have done the same. To get the answers they were seeking, he might have charged forward, too.

Suddenly the scent of lavender filled the air. Their Princess' scent. A red butterfly passed under Yaten's nose, fluttering away and towards the school. Diffidently, the three followed it with their eyes. "This scent is –"Seiya started to say, not believing what he was seeing.

"Princess!" Taiki gasped. Yaten slide off the car, taking a step forward, his sharp gaze not losing sight of the floating insect.

"Is it an invitation?" He wondered.

Seiya stood rooted to the ground, unable to believe that now, after all this time, they may have found an answer! But why was it going back to the school? What could be there? A sudden burst of charged energy washed over Seiya! He shuddered. _What was that?_ _Battle aura? Who?_ A cold dread filled him, crawling up his spine. "No way!" He cried, taking off after the butterfly.

Taiki and Yaten called after him, hot on his heels. Seiya could feel it, a battle was starting, and the girls, Usagi, were right in the middle of it!

* * *

Sailor Venus stood at the very front of their formation. They knew by Sailor Red Crow's proclamation that she was targeting Sailor Moon. Thus, their objective was her protection. Sailor Mercury stood beside her, Sailors Mars and Jupiter were behind them.

"It's impossible for you to stop me now!" Red Crow boasted, producing her black leather whip. Venus tried to block the tirade out to form a battle strategy but was not prepared for Red Crow to come at them as quickly as she did! The woman threw her energy into her weapon, taking out both Mercury and Venus in one swing! Unprepared for the blow, the two flew into the school building, cracks forming at their impact sight. Venus cried out as she crumpled to the ground, trying to immediately stand back up but the power of the attack had her reeling. She heard Jupiter shout, "Why you!" from her position, she saw Red Crow swing her whip around, striking the other two! Though Mars had managed a block, she was still sent flying with her friend into the glass walls of the nearby greenhouse, shattering it, cutting into their backs and arms.

"Everyone!" Sailor Moon called, hoping they were all ok! Venus could feel her world fading out. She tried to keep her mind clear, doing her best to block out the pain in her abdomen and back that she could feel shooting through her with every ragged breath she took. Why had Red Crow attacked so suddenly? The enemy had never done that and the girls had clearly not been ready for it. It reeked of desperation to Sailor Venus. Red Crow was giving it her all, as if she would die if she failed. But she had no time to dwell on that! She needed to get off the ground; she needed to get to her Princess! She could hear Mercury groaning, struggling to rise up as well. Venus lightly shook her head, trying to clear away the darkness that threatened to close in.

"If I get a real Star Seed, Madam Galaxia will be real happy." Venus could hear Sailor Red Crow saying. _Damn! She's going to attack Sailor Moon! No one can dodge that attack!_ "Ready?" Sailor Red Crow asked Sailor Moon.

"Stay away for her!" A fierce female voice shouts.

"What?" Red Crow searches for the owner. Venus peered up in the direction she swore it had come from; the Sailor Starlights were atop the greenhouse! They had not left yet! Venus breathed a sigh of relief as best she could through the pain. They had shown up, they would help them! Despite what had happened earlier, she knew they would not be so cruel as to leave them here at Red Crow's mercy.

Arriving at the courtyard, the three Starlights were shocked to see the state the Sailor Senshi were in! Four of them battered and bruised, hunched on the ground. Could their Princess have led them here for a reason? To help them? "Was this an invitation from our Princess?" Sailor Star Maker wondered aloud what was on each of their minds.

From the ground, crumpled in the shattered glass, Mars forced her head up to see if it were true, had she heard the Starlights? "Starlights?" she painfully gasped out, her ribs refusing to expand anymore, preventing her from drawing in more air to speak any louder. Sailor Star Healer heard Sailor Mars, barely. This was bad. The other four were completely useless now. They needed help.

"Anyway," Star Healer stated, "we'll finish anything that interrupts us!" She glared balefully down her nose at the enemy.

Red Crow as not amused. "I know of you, too. You're those Idols, right?"

"How do you know that?" Sailor Star Fighter asked. There was no way! They had been so careful not to reveal who they were to anyone! The only ones who knew were the other Senshi! They had found out after that incident on the plane – _THE PLANE!_ Star Fighter remembered! The woman, the enemy that had attacked them then knew! But they had been on high alert immediately following the attack and nothing had happened! Why now? She took a step forward, intending to attack Sailor Red Crow and find out exactly how she knew their identities!

"Don't move!" Red Crow shouted, holding up her right wrist.

Star Fighter braked to a halt. A glow came from the gold bracelet; a long, dark red crystal emerged from the jewel. Inside the crystal was a pulsing, crackling energy, black, and strong. "That's-"Star Fighter recognized it immediately and judging from the gasps she heard from her companions, they also remembered what it was.

Their situation had become indescribably desperate.

Red Crow smirked at their shocked faces. "If you've been wandering the galaxy, you must know what this is. This is a black hole. If you fall into it, you won't come back. A dimensional rift." She explained, tightly holding the crystal after it fully emerged from her jewel. She turned to each of the Senshi present. "If I let it loose, it'll easily swallow up this school. Since there's a festival going on, I wonder how many people are here." She asked conversationally. Sailor Moon's face grimaced. How would she get the crystal away from Sailor Red Crow? How could she do it without breaking it and killing everyone there? She gritted her teeth; she could only think of one way.

"If you do that, you'll die as well!" Star Fighter shouted an edge of panic creeping into her tone. She needed Red Crow to back down long enough to get to the crystal.

"In any case, I won't live unless I return with a real Star Seed." Sailor Red Crow snapped. Her dark red eyes bore into Star Fighter and the Senshi could see the determination, the single minded purpose: Red Crow would release the black hole, even if it meant her death. While the three Starlights stand a good chance at a getaway from this distance, the other five did not. Four were injured, and Sailor Moon was too close to Red Crow. They would not make it out if she unleashed it.

Sailor Moon knew what she had to do. She felt a small hand on her leg. She knew who it was without looking down. "Chibi Chibi, go to a safe place." She calmly told her sister. She felt the hand leave her leg and knew the child had obeyed; at least she would be safe. Sailor Moon took what little comfort the thought offered her and braced herself for the backlash she would likely receive for what she was about to do, hardening her heart and her resolve.

Sailor Red Crow turned to Sailor Moon, her voice resolute and demanding. "Now surrender your Star Seed!" When the girl only stared back, she pressed on. "Now!" She yelled!

Sailor Moon closed her eyes in resignation. It was the only way. "Okay." She acquiesced. She could hear the immediate protest of her friends, shouting at her name, telling her not to, begging her not to give in. She would not be moved.

"Stop!" Star Fighter had moved to jump between Sailor Moon and Sailor Red Crow. There was no way she would watch another person sacrifice herself to Galaxia! Not again. Star Healer and Star Maker called for her to stop, and held onto her, preventing her from moving. Meaning to throw them off, she stopped when she heard Sailor Moon order, "Don't come closer!" Star Fighter gazed down at the Senshi, "I can't involve innocent people." Sailor Moon said quietly.

Hurt and fear shining from her dark blue eyes, Star Fighter's heart squeezed tightly. "Sailor Moon." Star Fighter felt the hands that were holding her back spasm. Star Healer had taken in a quick breath. Star Maker was close to shaking. They knew what would follow. They knew that Red Crow would take Sailor Moon's Star Seed. They knew she would die. How could they help if Sailor Moon was ready to sacrifice herself, if Red Crow held that black hole crystal over her head like a the blade of a guillotine.

Sailor Moon took a deep breath. She opened her eyes facing her demise and spread her arms wide. "Here."

Red Crow smiled in triumphant. "All right, good girl!" She lined up her bracelets, the crystal still clutched in her hand. She shot two yellow spheres of energy at Sailor Moon. They gathered speed, circling around, taking wide angles before shooting directly into Sailor Moon's back and chest in the same instant.

Sailor Moon's body lifted from the ground, her screams piercing the air, growing louder as a bright yellow light consumed her body. She was utterly still, unable to move an inch except to scream. The Senshi gasped, trying to pull themselves up. Red Crow's attention was focused solely on Sailor Moon! Now was their chance to steal the crystal if only their bodies would obey! They could still save her! Near the school building, Chibi Chibi looked on in terror as her sister screamed in torment.

Star Fighter could not take anymore; she struggled to get free from Star Maker who still held onto her. "Stop!" She cried out, willing the light to subside, for Sailor Moon to be ok. Star Healer stood by, having released Star Fighter the moment Sailor Moon began shouting in pain, her own frightened eyes glued to Sailor Moon. Star Maker remained latched onto Star Fighter, not just to stop her sister from charging forward but to stop herself as well. They had seen this scenario countless times and it would never get easier. But they could not jump in. The only thing that stopped her was the thought that her mission was not complete. She focused hard on that thought, trying to block the screams, the despite cries of the others. She was failing.

A pink light gleamed from the top of Sailor Moon's head, glowing brightly. Red Crow was in awe of the warm shine pouring from the girl. "This is great." She breathed. With this, she would avenge her comrade. With this, she would put that ridiculous Tin Nyanko in her place. With this, all would be right with the world again.

Sailor Moon's screams had faded as she lost consciousness. A large shining silver crystal appeared suspended over her forehead; the Imperium Silver Crystal The source of Sailor Moon's life force. Her sailor form faded back to that of Usagi dressed in her maid outfit, still hovering only just slightly off the ground. Stark quiet reigned in the courtyard for only that moment. Red Crow, enraptured by the glow, started forward to take it. "I've never seen such a beautiful Star Seed. Siren, you were right." She whispered. "I have it."

A flash of yellow descended on the scene, striking Red Crow, throwing her off her feet and head first onto the ground. Caught off guard, she lost her grip the red crystal as it flew from her hand and shattered on the ground beside her. "Damn!" she cursed, quickly rising to her feet but could not move fast enough. The black hole was released, and she was already within its gravitational pull. She would not escape. The black hole spread across the ground quickly forming a large circle where its crystal had broken: its black energy already griping Red Crow's body and was growing larger by the minute. An annoying giggle filled the air.

Sailor Tin Nyanko appeared from behind Usagi, leaning nonchalantly against the tree, her arms crossed in front of her. "I see! This is what you meant!" She sniggered.

"Damn you!" Red Crow glared hatefully over the growing red and black mass, crackling with dark energy reaching out from it.

"I thought I could be your friend, but too bad." Tin Nyanko continued happily. Red Crow's arms were being sucked into the mass of energy even as she tried to futilely free herself. "I'll take the real Star Seed to Madame Galaxia so please don't worry." Tin Nyanko taunted.

Red Crow was not listening; she was too consumed with trying to extract herself. _Am I going to die like this? Me? _ She thought fatally, frantically pulling on her arms only to be rewarded with a stronger pull forward and deeper into her doom.

Sailor Tin Nyanko watched on as the reality sunk in on her once comrade's face, her desperation turning to acceptance. "Goodbye." She viciously bid her for the last time.

Red Crow, eyes filled with tears, had only one final thought, one final regret. "Sorry Siren." She whispered before she disappeared within her own black hole.

Tin Nyanko stood for a moment longer, savoring her victory till the black hole inched closer to her. Suddenly aware of the encroaching danger, "It looks like the end if I don't take the Star Seed now!"

The other Senshi were galvanized into action. Nothing would stop them now. The black hole was unleashed; they could grab Usagi and run! There was no reason for her sacrifice now! Star Fighter, freed from Star Maker' s hold, gathered her energy and attacked Tin Nyanko intending to push her away from Usagi. "Star Serious Laser!" Her attack streamed straight at the enemy but was diverted and sucked into the black hole. "What?" She cried in disbelief!

"No good! As long as that black hold exists - !" Star Maker trailed off. Their attacks would not make it.

Terror gripped the Senshi. Sailor Jupiter struggled to her knees. "I won't let that happen." She ground out.

Sailor Mercury was regaining her strength. "That's right! I'm going to protect her!"

Tin Nyanko looked at the battered Senshi with cynicism; they were no threat. She ignored them and turned to take her prize only to find a small red headed child in her path.

"No!" The child proclaimed her feet set wide apart, her arm out to the side, blocking the way, an incense burner cradled in the other arm.

_Oh great! A kid is trying to stop me!_ Tin Nyanko nearly laughed at the absurdity. This would be as easy as taking candy from a baby. "Go away." She commanded, readying to swat the child if she did not move at once. The child stood her ground.

"No!" Chibi Chibi shouted. Tin Nyanko was about to kick her when the two of them noticed the black energy had encircled Usagi.

"Chibi Chibi!" Chibi Chibi reached out for her sister, wanting to remove the black energy from her but was then caught in it herself. Tin Nyanko jumped away from the child quickly.

Chibi Chibi had only a moment to gasp before both she and the unconscious Usagi were swallowed by the black hole.

* * *

I swear I had better cool it with the cliffhangers otherwise I'm gonna get a reputation for doing them...my apologies.

Please Review!

Author Note: yes yes yes, I know that Chibi Chibi and Usagi are not related at all but the facade is a sisterly one so that is how they will be described until further notice. Otherwise its: the little-adorable-space-alien-brat-that-lives-with-Usagi-after-tricking-her-family-into-thinking-she-is-a-member-of-the-family-with-some-kind-of-alien-mind-powers. I prefer sister.


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